A Lifetime
by cinnybuns
Summary: It was 5 years before the well opened again. Something goes wrong. Now Kagome is thrust into pack living, learning to let go of her future that had been so uncertain to begin with and making a life 400 years in the past. With nothing else to lose, a certain wolf prince refuses to let her out of his grasp this time. (Kouga/Kagome)
1. Chapter 1

Summary: It was 5 years before the well opened again. Something goes wrong.

Chapter 1:

Kagome visited the well once a day after it closed off for good. After defeating Naraku and destroying the Shikon no tama, the well didn't open again. At first she visited it several times a day, just to test it. After about a month, it dwindled to once  
a day. Then after six months, sometimes she missed a day, but she still visited. Soon, life grew busy with school and friends and slowly her visits became less frequent. Once a week, a month, until she stopped visiting the well at all. Kagome was  
hopeful but she wasn't a masochist.

Each time she opened the well doors, leaned over the lip of the old well and did not feel the rush of magic, it broke her heart a little more. After a while, she had to move on. If not for her own memories, it was as if Inuyasha had never existed.

Time passed. She graduated high school, went to university, made friends, got into archery and track, and mostly kept to herself — and the well stayed closed.

She had to admit that she often thought of the Feudal Era world and her friends, and boyfriend? Had Inuyasha been her boyfriend? The last thing they experienced was a kiss before the magic of the well returned her to her own era, and he disappeared. For  
5 years. It was difficult, painfully so, but what other choice did she have but to move on? She could not live in a world — as a certain priestess reminded her frequently — she could not be part of. She had to move on.

Or she tried. She really tried.

And it worked for a little while. There were weeks where she was certain she had not thought of the well or of Inuyasha, convincing herself that it was the equivalent of a child with an imaginary friend. She convinced her heart it was a world she had  
merely… invented. Whether it had been real at any point was superfluous, a moot point; she could not go back. No use loitering over a time and place she could never return to.

Her kind mother sweetly suggested a therapist. Kagome scoffed. Like that would go over without a straight jacket. _Hi, I'm here because I used to travel through a well beneath our shrine that took me 500 years in the past and I miss my sort of boyfriend and friends from that time. Can you help me, doc?_

That would result in an immediate admission to a loony bin. Forever.

Kagome considered that maybe she invented the world and the well thing in her mind, but her heart knew. It knew.

It had all been real. Inuyasha. Miroku. Sango. Shippo. Naraku. Kikyou. The countless adventures. All of it had been real. It being real wasn't the problem. The problem was that she had no proof and that the universe had severed her way back.

No wishing or praying or miko powers could reopen the well. In fact, after it closed off, her powers seemed to vanish into thin air.

Like her powers and the world she loved so dearly had never existed.

* * *

It had been years since she had last visited the well. Just one more time. She needed to know that the well was a lost hope. This would prove her right.

The door to the well house slammed open with a crash. Kagome tip toed down the small steps into the familiar and dusty well house. The well before her almost mocked her for showing up once again.

 _Back for more disappointment, eh?_

She stared at the well for an hour before moving towards it.

 _Nothing is going to happen, so don't even get your hopes up, Self._

 _It won't even be like real disappointment. It's just an old, empty, nothing-happening-here-move-on well._

Once more, like a million times before, she leaned over the well and stared into the bottom. A black nothingness. Kagome let out a long breath. The nothingness was almost a welcome relief. An old friend. She leaned back on the balls of her feet and prepared  
herself to leave the well house.

 _This is okay. I am okay._

Suddenly, a familiar thrum of power and the magic of the well gently blew her hair back.

Was it her imagination?

Could she trust it? The well. Her vision. She had leapt down into the well a thousand times only to feel the ache in her legs. She didn't know if her heart could take it. Another jump. Another disappointment.

She decided she didn't care. But all of her things were not here with her. There was nothing for her to leave a note with. No food to take with her on her travels. No yellow backpack bloated with supplies and ramen. She was lucky she wore practical clothes  
and shoes.

Yet if the well didn't let her through now, she was convinced it never would. Kagome looked around the old well house feeling desperate. How would they know she had gone? Would she be able to risk coming back? Could she?

 _Am I really going to do this? Am I losing my mind?_

Kagome took one more moment before leaping over the lip of the well, and vanishing along with the magic of the well.

A note was written in the dust covering a tired mirror leaning against a wall.

 _Mama. Went back. Tell Grandpa and Souta I'm sorry. Love you. K._

* * *

 _I'm back. I'm back!_

When she stopped, it was not the bottom of her family's well. It was the opposite end. The well bottom from the Feudal Era. She practically sobbed with contentment and immediately called for Inuyasha. Feeling a rush of adrenaline, she climbed out of the  
well and over the side of the well. She called for him again.

The grass felt the same beneath her feet. The trees looked the same. But she could tell the moment she stepped out of the well, something was wrong.

"Inuyasha!"

She knew that likely he was not just sitting around waiting for her to return, but if he was in the vicinity, he might hear her or smell her scent.

"Inuyasha!"

She turned on her heel and nearly crashed into the being behind her. "Strange human, why do you shout my brother's name?"

It could not be.

Not him.

The dog demon who wielded Tenseiga, followed by a small toad and his ward, a young girl called Rin. Now alone. The demon who had attempted to kill her once.

"Sesshomaru-sama."

She did not turn around. She did not need to.

The handsome demon tilted his head toward her, perplexed that she knew his name. His lip curled and his brows knit into a scowl. "Human woman, how do you know my name?"

Her breath caught in her throat. He did not recognize her. "Where is your brother, Sesshomaru?"

The next words from his mouth cracked her like brittle glass. His voice was lifeless and cold. "Dead." Air left her lungs and the edges of her vision swam around her.

No.

He had to be wrong.

He had to be lying.

To ward off true enemies.

To screw with her.

To be cruel.

"Sesshomaru-Sama, it is Kagome. Don't you remember me?" she asked, her voice quivering with emotion. Still she could not turn around to look at him.

Oh, there it was. She could not see but he nodded. "My foolish brother waited for you, but did not explain where you went."

Kagome shook her head, laughing nervously, convinced he was toying with her. "Where is he?"

Sesshomaru glowered at her. Refusing to be ignored, he took his clawed hand and spun her around. His face bore no sign of aging. He looked exactly the same; perfect, fearsome and hating everyone. Sesshomaru seemed to hate everyone but that little girl.  
She had seen him countless times go out of his way to protect her.

He did not answer her question. As cruel a man as he could be, he did not wish to hurt the girl.

"Rin?" It was a question. One meant to prompt a response, but one that angered him and brought fresh agony to him. His clawed hand at his side formed a white knuckled fist.

"Do not speak her name." He missed her. He would always miss her. Rin had succumbed to what all humans succumb to at one point or another. Rin had simply died of old age.

It didn't make the ache in his chest throb less.

Sesshomaru turned away from her, his kimono flourishing dramatically. He did not wish to discuss his past ward. "If you came looking for my brother or my ward, you are too late."

Kagome blanched, but still lost. "What happened to Rin? She was just a little girl—"

He spun on his heel once more, his hair flying, eyes flashing with crimson. She should run. Now.

"She was not a little girl!" he bellowed, his voice deep and menacing.

She should go.

The two didn't add up. "She would've only been 12 or 13 years old, I don't…"

Sesshomaru was in her face, pushing her back with a clawed hand. "Are you a ghost sent to taunt me of her death? I will not be mocked! She was not a little girl!"

Run. She should run.

It didn't add up. She was only gone for 5 years. How could so much have happened in such a small duration of time? Unless…

"Sesshomaru-sama, how long has it been since we defeated Naraku?"

His red eyes slowly turned back to the golden irises. "One hundred years."

Kagome's jaw fell open and her knees slammed into the dirt.

A hundred years.

She watched his hair flow elegantly behind him.

He had to be wrong.

He was definitely screwing with her.

"No, y-you're wrong."

Sesshomaru did not move, only stared at her, through her. He was remembering. Her entire life. The smallest smile touched his lips.

She didn't consider the consequences of her actions when she grabbed his forearm, demanding his attention.

"Where is he?" she screamed hysterically.

She should have run. She should not have pushed him. Not after Rin had died. Never at all.

Fingers closed around her throat and squeezed the air from her lungs. She immediately began thrashing and grasped his arm, clawing at his large hand, tears pouring from her eyes. His eyes were a deep red, the whites gone. A growl escaped his lips, his  
teeth bared at her threateningly.

"Do not ever speak of my Rin," he growled, and dropped her roughly to the ground. "The next time you place your hands on me will be quickly followed by your untimely death."

Kagome kept her eyes lowered, massaging her throat, knowing there would be a bruise in the shape of his hand.

As he turned to walk away, her voice stilled him. "You loved her."

His feet stopped momentarily, but he did not look at her. His eyes momentarily held a glazed over look that he fixed into a scowl. "You speak as if I could even comprehend such an emotion. Do not speak as if you know me."

Sesshomaru disappeared from her sight into the forest never to be seen again.

And when she was left alone, the grief set in.

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **Author Note: I'm not dead! Hurrah! This is a Kouga/Kagome centered fic. See ya soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

A Lifetime

Summary: It was 5 years before the well opened again. Something goes wrong.

Chapter 2:

The universe could be cruel. She tried to go back. Truly. The well closed for a second time except she was on the wrong end, in the wrong time, many years too late.

One hundred years to be exact. Well, Sesshomaru never said how long it had been, only that his brother had died. Truthfully, it didn't matter how long it had been. She was too late.

If only the well would let her back, she could try again. Couldn't she? There was a possibility that the well had simply messed up, and she could go back and fix what had broken, keep Inuyasha from dying, protect him somehow.

No.

As Kagome sat at the bottom of the old well, impossibly stuck and hurt more than ever, she cried bitterly. Angry and sad and scared. Angry at him for dying and for the well not working right. Sad because she would never see him again. Scared because  
she was alone in a world she knew nothing about with nothing but the clothes on her back.

Sad because one hundred years didn't just mean Inuyasha, but Sango and Miroku too.

She cried in the well for hours.

* * *

When crying by herself in an old well no longer seemed pivotal to her current survival, Kagome gingerly pulled herself out and onto her feet. Her legs ached with bruises and soreness she knew would be worse in the morning.

Nothing. Nothing to protect her. Not a bow or a knife. No food, no drink, nothing to help her survive. She needed to find people and fast.

Kagome wondered the forest for two nights, sleeping where she could, praying the right people would come along. People were still people, weren't they? She supposed that she could try to use her miko powers if it came to that, but she prayed it  
would not.

For two days she walked and walked and walked with no village to be had, no people to be seen. Not even fresh water. Until in the middle of a field, far off she saw... someone.

After nearly two days without food or water, she was weak and at the end of her strength. She was filthy and sweaty and tired and dirty. How much longer could she keep going?

The person far off stopped to peer at her, almost as if to take a second glance and then began running towards her. Her breath left her in a rush of panic but she was so exhausted.

As the person rushed toward her, she wavered and collapsed.

 _Please let them be kind_ , she thought. _Let it be a mother or a child._

The last thing she heard before exhaustion swallowed her was a familiar voice ask, "Sister?" 

* * *

"Can you believe we found her?"

"He'll be so happy. Don'cha think?"

"But isn't she human?"

"Yeah, so?"

"It's been so long. She looks exactly the same!"

Heaven was loud.

"Mm stop talking so loud," she murmured.

"Little Sister!" one shouted even louder. The voice she remembered. The one she heard before she fainted.

She heard a faint smack. A hand slapping. Something.

"Dammit, I'm sorry."

"Boss sure will be happy, though."

"Then again he might die of shock."

Kagome opened her eyes, squinting in the dimly lit room. And then she opened her eyes fully. Nope. Not a room, definitely a cave. A den. _Where in kami's name was she and who brought her here?!_

 __

She was laying down. In a den. A den she'd seen before. Slightly different but then very much the same.

Surrounded by men, by wolves.

Hakkaku and Ginta.

"Little Sister, you're up!" Hakkaku exclaimed with joy. "We thought you might be a goner out there when you collapsed, but—"

It was like being doused in freezing cold water. As she rose into a sitting position, air rushing into her lungs, and threw her arms around the wolf demon. "Hakkaku! You're alive!"

She looked to the side. "And Ginta!"

She could feel Hakkaku's reluctance to return the embrace. Touch and scent were important to wolf demons. She knew that. Honestly, she was just happy to see a face of someone who wouldn't try to eat her.

Ginta smiled at her sheepishly. "Hey, Sis!"

Kagome released Hakkaku and sat back taking it all in.

Her eyes searched the wolf demon's. "How did you find me?"

Hakkaku's blush faded and he sat up. "Well I didn't mean too exactly. Just luck."

"And you brought me back here?"

His eyes looked apologetic and his shoulders heaved. "Are you upset that I did that?"

Kagome thought absently and shook her head. "N-no. I don't suppose I am. I'm very happy to see you both!"

She tried to smile, but it hurt and it felt forced. It was.

Hakakku relaxed visibly. Ginta stood. Kagome was entranced by the wolf demon. Both looked just as she had last seen them. They were demons, yes, but it made it no less unnerving.

"Can I get you something to eat?"

Kagome nodded. She was starved.

"Please."

Ginta disappeared and came back with fruit. She gladly partook and ate quickly.

The two wolf demon sat before her, waiting for her to finish.

"Sister?"

Her eyes looked up at them. "Yes?"

Hakkaku's looked like he was struggling with himself. "You haven't aged. Much."

"Oh." That wasn't what she expected them to ask. Of course she should have aged. She was human. They were demons. Even if it had been one hundred years, it made sense they would look almost exactly as she had left them.

For a moment, she remembered the look of both fury and loss on Sesshomaru's face. If he was telling the truth about time and it had been nearly a century, she should have aged. More so, she should not be here. She should be dead.

"How?"

Kagome blinked in confusion. "I'm sorry?"

Ginta and Hakakku waited, sitting on their heels. They looked at each other and then back at her. Ginta rubbed the back of his head nervously. "You, uh, you aren't old. How is that?"

They waited. She bit her lip, looking up at them shyly. "It's a really long story?" She meant it to be a statement.

She sighed, feeling full for the first time in days. _It's not like I have anything to do any time soon._

* * *

Hakkaku and Ginta sat in perfect, patient silence as she recanted the story of the well, how it came to be, and how she got here. When Kagome finished telling her tale, they sat before her, their mouths agape.

She blew air out of her lips, placing her hands on her lap. She should have known it was too much for them. It was such a fairytale, it had to sound fabricated.

If they didn't understand or didn't believe her, they didn't let on. Ginta smiled brightly at her and laughed.

"Boss sure is gonna be happy to see ya!"

Boss?

"Where is he?"

They looked at each other and then back at her.

"Where is Kouga?"

She peered around the den but he was nowhere to be found. She wasn't sure how she hadn't noticed it before.

"Is he out?"

Her heart began to beat quickly. She hadn't seen the wolf prince in five years. For him it was much longer. The guilt made her heart twist painfully. She never meant for things to happen like this.

Hakkaku looked around. "I wouldn't worry, Sis. He should be back soon."

"Is something the matter? Will he be upset that I'm here?"

Ginta bit down on his lip, and Kagome wasn't sure if he was trying not to laugh or not. He gestured down to her clothing.

"What is it?"

"Please don't be mad."

As she looked down, she saw that she was dressed in a skirt made of white furs, chest armor that covered her upper body, and a vest made of white furs. Someone had changed her.

Slowly she looked up. Both wolf demon looked apologetically at her.

"We didn't..."

"The women..."

"We asked them to..."

"Your clothes were ruined..."

She laughed nervously, waving them off. Women had seen her naked, not Kouga's men, and honestly that was enough. "It's fine, really!"

She was only stuck in a time she was never meant to return to with none of her things. She was dressed in how the other women of the wolf tribe dressed. This was normal.

"Where is Kouga?"

The two wolves looked at each other, like neither wanted to tell her.

"He's out."

"He should be back."

Something was wrong. And they were hiding it from her. Badly.

"Does he know I'm here?"

Hakkaku shrugged. "If he doesn't know ya're here yet, he will."

Ginta tried to smile warmly at her. "Kagome, it's night. You should sleep." 


	3. Chapter 3

A Lifetime

Summary: It was 5 years before the well opened again. Something goes wrong.

Chapter 3:

Strange. Kagome was used to strange. She lived in a shrine with her grandfather, mother and brother. For nearly a year, she traveled around the Feudal Era with a half dog demon, a monk, a demon slayer and a small fox demon child. She helped defeatcountlessdemons  
and collect the shards of a jewel that held extreme magical powers, that had laid dormant in her body. She traveled back and forth through a well beneath her house that now closed at will, and had brought her back to the wrongtime. Yes,

Kagome was very familiar with strange.

A soft whimper woke her from a deep sleep. Kagome sat up for just a moment, stretching her tired muscles, feeling for the bruised skin of her throat. Momentarily she was reminded of the large dog demon who had held her life in his hands. And his face,  
HIS FACE as he had remembered the young girl she had seen always at his side. Rin.

Kagome gasped, yanking her foot back as she felt something wet and cold touch her. Her eyes adjusted to the sharp blackness of the den and she bit down hard on her lip to suppress a scream. She sat eye to eye with a large gray wolf.

She looked to her left and there was Ginta several feet away, and to her right there was Hakkaku. Both close enough that if the wolf attacked, they would know it in a heartbeat — maybe sooner. They could smell fear and danger, couldn't they? Even ifthey  
were asleep. One would hope. She gulped.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up as she stared downthe wolf in front of her. Her body stiffened and her forehead shone with sweat. Could the wolf sense her fear too? She tried to relax her muscles and tell herself not to be afraid.

With Kouga's men at either side of her, she had no reason to fear. Right?

Her breath caught in her throat as the gray wolf at her feet took slow, padded steps toward her, only to circle once before laying down at her side. She released her breath, placing her hands in her own lap; she dared not to reach out and touchthe  
/wolf. No matter how soft their fur looked.

One wolf was quickly followed by another large brown wolf, doing as the other had, so she was flanked by a wolf on each side. Just when she thought that was it, a small wolf cub, black, clambered clumsily over to her, onto her lap and onto herchest  
where it looked her eye to eye.

The small wolf on her chest shivered and yipped when she did not move. _Is he cold?_

She did the only thing she could think to do and cuddled the cub closely. It snuggled against her chest and fell asleep. She released the breath she had been holding.

How wild this was. His wolves, Kouga's wolves were protecting her. Surely it had been one hundred years, but these had to be different wolves. Was it passed along that Kouga had claimed her as pack?

Just as Kagome thought about waking Ginta and Hakkaku, the wolves snuggled closer still. Instead of waking her sleeping companions and protectors, she trusted that they would not eat her and fell asleep.

* * *

The second time Kagome woke, it was by a deep, warm chuckle. Someone was laughing. It was almost like a memory, a noise she had heard once. It made her smile as she roused, blinking slowly into wakefulness.

The morning was bright.

Ginta stood before her, holding something wrapped in a large leaf.

"Here, Little Sister. Eat!" he offered, taking a seat beside her. "Careful, it's hot."

He placed it in her waiting hands.

"What is it?" It smelled like...

"It's boar, but cooked." He grinned proudly. "We still remember that you like it cooked."

"Ginta, thank you." Her eyes brimmed with tears. They remembered. She blinked back her watery eyes and looked up at Ginta. "Really."

"Ah it was nothin'!"

"No, it was really thoughtful that you remembered, thank you."

Kagome stood with her leaf of warm meat in her hands and moved to sit with the others outside.

She was about the sit when someone called her name. A female voice. Sucking on her meat soaked finger, she spun around to see a red haired wolf demon.

"Ayame!"

Kagome's body didn't quite know how to react. She was excited to see the red haired demoness but also remembered how territorial she had been with a certain wolf prince.

The red haired girl's face lit up. "Kagome, it is you!"

Surprised by her warm welcome, Kagome smiled back. "How are..."

Without warning, Ayame closed the distance between them and touched Kagome face, peering into her eyes so intently, entranced by her presence.

Wolf demons were not big on personal space. Not at all.

"Peculiar."

 _"Excuse me?"_ Kagome giggled nervously. She had expected a hug at most. Definitely not this.

"You - you are - young," Ayame finished, touching the other girl's face, examining her hair and looking into her eyes. "I don't - from what we've seen of humans - they don't - they only - they age much faster and - you haven't!"

The red haired demoness released her to encircle her like a predator seeking prey. Kagome's eyes followed her.

"Not only have you not aged but you are still..." She searched for the right word. "Alive."

Beads of sweat rolled down the back of Kagome's knees. Her throat felt like sandpaper. Suddenly she felt sick to her stomach. Was it the meat? How would she explain this to them? She had hardly explained it to Ginta and Hakkaku.

Ayame blinked her bright green eyes, folding her arms over her chest. "Whatever the reason, Kouga is going to be ecstatic!" She jerked her head toward Ginta. "Anybody notify boss of recent events yet? By the way, where the hell _is_ he?"

Kagome. She was the recent events. Kouga was still their leader.

Her thoughts cleared enough that she could form a sentence, a contribution to conversation to her otherwise silence. A conversation about her.

"You thick headed morons called for him, didn't you?" Ayame said, her hands on her hips.

Kagome had a vision of Ayame standing on a rock, doing the very same thing, except yelling at Kouga. Years ago, roughly one hundred. She blinked slowly.

Ginta only stared at the fiery haired demoness, which only made her scoff impatiently. "Do I have to do everything around here?"

"W-wait, where is he again and why isn't he back yet?" Kagome asked, wiping her forehead of sweat.

Ayame's eyes grew like saucers. "You mean you idiots haven't told her! Are you kidding me?!"

Hastily Hakkaku reached out to soothe Ayame, his hand over her arm. "She only just returned. We wanted to give her a good nights sleep before I told her. She was exhausted for heavens sake!"

"Tell me? Tell me what?" Nothing made any sense. What weren't they telling her?

"Oh nothing, just how Kouga hasn't -"

Hakkaku's hand grasped Ayame's arm roughly. "Gods Ayame, cram it! You have no tact, ya know!" Then he added, "I'll take care of it."

The red haired female only ripped her arm out of Hakkaku's roughly, looking angrily up and down at at the wolf demon. "Kami, the girl deserves to know what you've brought her back to."

"Brought me back to? To what?" Kagome finally asked. Hakkaku took her gently by the elbow and guided her to a secluded area, knowing full well the others were within earshot. This was more for Kagome's sake.

"Hakkaku, where is Kouga? What aren't you telling me?" she demanded.

Hakkaku took a deep breath before he began pacing back and forth.

"Kouga is fine. He is meeting in the northern lands with their pack. He was scheduled to return in a few more nights. We were trying to think about a way to talk to you first."

Kagome spun toward him. "What did Ayame mean about 'calling for him'?"

Hakkaku sighed, rubbing his hand over his hair. "We can call for him, by howling. Like wolves. Kouga has impeccable hearing." He looked at her and then back at the mountains in the distance. "Ayame was right. We should have let him know you were

here the moment you arrived."

Kagome shrugged. She supposed it wasn't so bad. They waited, so what?

Hakkaku looked at her gravely.

"Sis, you remember we are wolves, right?"

She nodded. "Yeah, of course."

He wasn't sure how to tell her this other than telling her.

"I remember when he made his claim to you that you were going to be his wife."

Kagome giggled slightly, remembering it fondly. "He was so cocky then, so sure. And... sweet, really." She thought about the time he brought her flowers, the times he rescued her from danger, and made sure she was alright. It was so unnecessary.

Hakkaku watched her eyes take on an almost glassy look.

"If he made that claim to you so publicly, I know that he must have told you."

"Told me..."

A memory appeared in her mind's eye. Of Kouga standing before her telling her something and tugging her to his side.

"Wolves mate for life." It was spoken together, both the wolf demon and Kagome.

Shock turned to dread. She had a feeling she knew where this was going. For a moment, she remembered the look on Sesshomaru's face when he told her it had been a hundred years. And then what Ayame had said so brashly before.

"I — I don't..."

"He is still holding onto that claim. From years - a hundred years ago," she announced, understanding. For her it had only been a few years, but for him...

Nausea engulfed her in waves. "He can't... I was gone... And he didn't... Hakkaku, what if I hadn't come back? What if I never came back?"

Hakkaku shrugged. "I suppose he might have died alone. Claiming is instinct, Sis. Deeper rooted than any other basic instinct. Before food or rest or protecting the pack."

"But I was... There was... I told him... _Inuyasha_..."

From what little she was able to get out, Hakkaku pieced the two together. "You loved the hanyou, which doesn't normally happen. That our intended loves another. So Kouga made himself content with making sure you were safe, checking up on you."

"But he never... He never... All this time..." She felt faint.

"He never took another mate."

Kagome blinked. How awful a life to live. Alone without your intended.

"Why?"

Hakkaku looked at her squarely, placing a clawed hand on her shoulder. "I know you don't understand instinct but he loves you in a way that goes beyond compare to human love. If it came down to it, he would die for you. He would sooner step over my dead  
/body to get to

is no other."

Kagome couldn't understand. Hakkaku spoke all of this in present tense. Like Kouga was still crazy in love with her. It just wasn't possible.

Hakkaku kicked at the dirt and sighed audibly. "He doesn't speak of you as often. Doesn't want us to worry." He smirked. "But I still hear him say your name in his sleep."

"Oh Kouga." Her heart ached. How he had loved her and carried on loving her for one hundred years through another male and her disappearance... How did one survive such a thing.

She was unsure of what to do with his feelings or with what she felt. Would it be so bad if she tried to learn more? Was there a reason she was stuck in this era again?

A howl was heard in the distance. A wolf. Ginta perhaps. Hakkaku explained, "They're calling him to come back."

Could he really hear that far away? Hakkaku said his hearing was _impeccable_.

Kagome moved to stop the others but Hakkaku put his hand out in front of her. "But what if he's in the midst of something important? They shouldn't - I have to!"

She needed more time. To think.

Hakkaku chuckled warmly. "Nothing could be more important than this. Trust me, he will want to know about this."

"When do you think he will he be back?"

"Maybe a day. He always runs the fastest for you."

Kagome didn't pretend to know anything about wolves, but she knew a little. First thing, scent and touch were important. They sort of went together. She thought about all the small touches Ginta and Hakkaku had given her. Nothing romantic at all,

just small geatures of care, little touches here and there. Handing her food or water, waking her, protecting her. For God's sake, Hakkaku had carried her back here.

"Hakkaku, where can I take a bath?"

His ears reddened at her request. "You want to bathe?" He waved a hand at her to follow him, his cheeks pink. "I'll show you."


	4. Chapter 4

Summary: It was 5 years before the well opened again. Something goes wrong.

Chapter 4:

The next day passed painfully slow.

Itgave Kagome time to think. To absorb all that had transpired within the last 72 hours. Home. Five years. Well works. Note left for Mama. Well breaks. She faints in the middle of a field and ends up with Kouga's tribe. Inuyasha is gone...

Her tears threatened to consume her every time she thought about the half demon who had consumed so much of her time. Yet even so, it didn't feel like the crippling grief she experienced after the well first sealed itself. She had five years to  
grieve Inuyasha and her friends. Still the unfairness knowing the well had brought her one hundred years too late felt like a low blow.

Knowing she may not be able to return to Mama, Souta and grandpa hurt even more. Grandpa was in good health but he wasn't getting any younger either. Mama... What would she think? Surely that her daughter had somehow unsealed the well passage  
and left for good. And Souta. Her heart sank. He was a young man. He would hold things together.

As time crept passed, Kagome played off her impatience with distraction. She went for long walks, spoke to the women and played with the smallest cubs. For some reason they really seemed to like her and the larger wolves wouldn't leave her alone.  
Perhaps they could sense her unease. The older wolves made sure to always flank on either side of her everywhere she went. Whether she was walking or standing or sitting or lying down. It was unnerving at first, but it made her feel safe.

The following morning, after breakfast, Ayame pulled her aside and tugged her away from her herb gathering.

The red head was quiet for a moment before asking, "What are your intentions?"

"What do you mean?" Kagome stopped to pick up a patch of lavender colored flowers. She felt thrown off by Ayame's question. "I don't understand."

"With Kouga."

"My intentions?" Kagome repeated, her voice high.

"Why are you here?"

"It's difficult to explain."

"Do you care for him?"

Kagome blinked. "Of course I do. Like I care for any of my friends."

Ayame grinned wryly at her while continuing to walk down the dirt path. It was flooded with flowers.

"Now you know that's not how I mean."

Kagome conversations with Hakkaku returned to her. She had spent so much time thinking about her family and friends and not being able to get back, she had hardly thought about Kouga and her own feelings.

How did she feel?

The last time she had seen him was after Kikyo had died. She had thought it was goodbye. She still recalled the way he had said her name, as if finally accepting she would not return his feelings. He would no longer chase after her or seek her hand.

Knowing what she knew now, she realized how painful that must have been for him. Saying goodbye to your mate. How terrible.

Her mind traveled backwards to the first time they had met. The Birds of Paradise. How he had recognized her ability to see the shards, had kidnapped her, called her his own, rescued her again and again, went against instinct and made his pack  
stop killing humans, chased her again and again, following her through danger, comforting her, telling her she was beautiful and staying by her side. Even through another man and a century. All because of instinct. Because he loved her. Really,  
really loved her. And it didn't make any sense. None of this made any sense. Maybe she was crazy and needed to be institutionalized.

Ayame's voice pulled Kagome from her daze.

"Do you love him?"

Kagome nearly tripped over her own feet. "Wh- I don't - no, I - I don't know," she finally said quietly. "Kouga and I never... He never... I never gave him a chance. There was someone else."

She looked away. That was the truth. She remembered almost being swooned by Kouga before Inuyasha had come to her rescue. The wolf prince who rescued her from death, said over and over that he loved her, was in love with her no matter who was  
around and never put her second. For him, there was never someone else.

"Is there someone else now?"

Kagome shook her head slowly. "No."

"Do you think you'll give him a chance now?"

The lump in her throat made it hard for her to speak. It had hardly been any time at all. How could they expect her to make such a decision?

Ayame spun around gracefully. In her hands she had collected a small flower similar to the color of Kouga's eyes. A bright and beautiful blue. Ayame took the small flowers and began decorating and weaving them through Kagome's hair.

Her face held a knowing smile. "You should think about it, you know. Giving him a chance. You might surprise yourself," she said, her eyebrows knit together as she worked. "Then again he might surprise you. He's still the same egotistical, die  
hard romantic for you, but he's changed."

Kagome lifted her chin. "Changed?"

Ayame gave Kagome a once over, observing her work.

"Perfect!" Then answering her previous question, "I don't know how to describe it. He's just... different. The last time you saw him he was a bit younger and immature. Now he's... more of a man. He's uncompromising, unyielding, unwavering. He  
never stopped thinking about you, not for a second."

"Really?"

Ayame smiled and shook her head. "Really. Sometimes it was annoying."

They shared a laugh before making their way back to the den.

"Kagome, remember what I said: he might surprise you." 

* * *

The next morning, Kagome woke before sunrise. She could not sleep or eat or drink. Kouga could come at any moment and she was far too nervous for his arrival. Her heart hammered in her chest. She realized she wanted to see him as much as he wanted  
to see her. At least she hoped he wanted to see her. That was why he was returning early, wasn't it?

She spent the morning stroking the fur of the grey wolf that never left her side and listening to Ayame tell stories.

The sun had just begun its ascent in the sky when there was a disturbance from outside the den.

Kagome stood to her feet, while Ayame remained seated on the floor, casually leaning against the den wall.

Kagome turned away from the caves entrance, looking to the red haired wolf demoness for reassurance. "Do I -" Kami, she felt pathetic for asking. Like a school girl. Her face pinked slightly as she clenched her fists at her side. "Do I look alright?"

Ayame blew air from her lips, and stood up, looking the other girl squarely in the face. She fixed a stray hair that had flown out of place. "Heartbreaking." Ayame smiled. "If he loved you before he's going to love you even more."

Kagome bit her lip and straightened her skirt. It suddenly felt much too short. The armor covering her breasts suddenly reflected too much skin. She felt much too exposed and there wasn't a damn thing she could do about it now.

Suddenly Ayame's eyes brightened as she stepped away. Kagome was about to ask her why when she heard his voice. Deep and distant, like he was lost. It was just one word. Her name.

"Kagome."

Her blood turned cold and her breath hitched in her throat. Her knees were weak.

"Well, I will leave you two to catch up," Ayame chirped, skipping around Kagome and out of the cave as fast as her legs could carry her. Trembling from head to toe, Kagome made a mental note to kill her. Aside from Kouga and herself, the cave  
was empty. They were alone and she did not feel ready to be alone with him.

She had nearly an entire day to think of what she would first say, and now she was turned from him and speechless. Her hands shook at her side.

"Kouga-kun?"

"Yes." His voice was deep and she could hear the fatigue in him. Demon or not, of course he would be exhausted.

Breathe, just breathe. Kagome took a moment to still the frantic beating of her heart.

Then slowly she turned to face him.

His hair was down, his armor gone, muscled chest heaving. He had been running. Hard. It crossed her mind that he had probably expended a lot of energy running back here as fast as he could.

For her.

Aside from his hair down and around him, a bit older and taller, he looked exactly the same. Had he always been so tall and handsome? Kagome clenched her fist and bit down on her lip. As a demon, she should fear him.

There was such a deep sadness in Kouga's eyes, but also a joy, a confusion, and something else that Kagome couldn't yet define. All she knew was that no one had ever looked at her like that.

Kami, his eyes were just as she remembered. Crystal and blue like the ocean, bright and alive.

He was staring at her, maybe twenty feet away, like he was looking at a ghost. Other than that, she couldn't read him at all.

She heard Hakkaku's voice saying, _"I still hear him say your name in his sleep,"_ and her knees threatened to buckle. Could it be the very same Kouga she knew? Did he care for her so recklessly?

His eyes panned over her face and up and down her body, drinking her in. The curvature of her breasts, the inward shape of her waist, and the bow of her hips and long legs. Even covered in fur and fabric. She was a vision that his best dreams could not hold a candle to.

Breathing deeply, her scent flooded his veins and his mind. He had gone a hundred years without it, but it was just like he dreamed of,just as he remembered. He was drunk with her scent now and it would not due to go without it again. He would go mad.

"You are a dream," his said, blinking his eyes shut, his voice hoarse, making her shiver.

Kagome bit her lip and shook her head. Remembering he had shut his eyes, she spoke again. "N-no."

"Then I am dead and this is the after life my ancestors spoke of," he said resolutely, opening his eyes slowly, expecting she would disappear before his very eyes, never to be seen again.

Every time he opened his eyes again, Kagome found her heart hiccuped in her chest.

Kagome shook her head fervently in answer once more.

He did not wish to believe her; if he was wrong, he was not certain he was strong enough to bare it. The loss of her a second time. Her disappearance had been almost maddening and this pain would crush him.

He would not, could not hope until he was sure.

"Kouga," her voice was soft. "It's me. You aren't hallucinating or dead." Subconsciously she took one step toward him. "I'm here."

She did not reach out to touch him for fear of what his reaction would be. Ayame and Hakakku had said otherwise but it did not mean... Kouga could have changed his mind.

Matching a step towards her, his eyebrows knit together. "I don't understand. You are human."He had never once forgotten the fragility of her upon her  
ripe flesh, his shoulders squared as he took another step. Predator seeking his prey. Wolf seeking his female.

The wolf prince's swagger unnoticed, Kagome bristled at his comment. Was he now bothered by her human nature? Her hand touched the skirt of fur concealing her modesty. Was he offended by her attire?

He continued. "Humans only live but a breath compared to demon. You do not smell of demon, nor do you wreak of death such as the old priestess."

"Kikyo."

His bright azure eyes darkened. "Yes." He had grown much closer to her without much notice from her.

"I still do not understand," he said, his close proximity bringing her out of her trance.

"Huh?" She had been thinking about the deceased priestess who had given her last energy to save Sango's brother Kohaku.

His head tilted slightly to one side as his fingers reached up and touched her hair, his fingers grazing the small flowers that adorned it. He was mesmerized by her.

"You are still young and beautiful."

Human. One hundred years. Oh. Right. That's what he was asking about. Of course. She felt like such an idiot.

Kagome looked down at her feet and then back up at Kouga. Meanwhile he took note of how long her eyes lingered on his body before returning to his face.

"There is so much I must tell you. Once I do, it will make sense." Hopefully.

Without much thought, her hand reached up, hesitant to touch his cheek. Once she realized she was doing it, she quickly made to drop her hand and he caught it upon its descent. Never looking away, he brought her hand close to his mouth and kissed her open palm. Then her wrist. His lips were warm.

God how he had missed her. Even if she was not here to return his feelings, he would be damned if he did not cherish every second he had of her.

Desperately she tried to ignore the tingling his kiss left through out her entire body. She began the story.

"Kouga, do you understand time?"

He squinted his eyes. "Time? Like days and nights?"

His hand still held hers and he was much too close, and much too undressed. Much, much too handsome. She struggled to breathe.

He was her friend. She had stood beside him countless times before, in the same position without it affecting her. He had stood by her in battle, protecting her from certain death. What was different now?

Breathe. It's just Kouga. A very hot Kouga. Kagome nearly kicked herself, but resisted.

"Yes. Exactly. And do you remember the old well?"

"The Bone Eater's well. Yeah, o'course."

Kagome released a breath slowly through her lips. "My home was on the other side of that well. In a different time." She looked at him and he stared back.

"That well took you to a different home?"

"It's magic. Sort of. But yes." Ugh! She sounded crazy. He was going to think she was crazy.

She could see the gears in his head working, trying to understand.

"The well took you to your home in another time."

Still holding her hand. The hand that tingled from where his lips had been. Still making eye contact. Those piercing blue eyes. Still making her hold her breath. Insane or not.

"Yes."

"And when you tried to come back it..." He was struggling to put the pieces together.

"The well closed up for five years." Even as she repeated it, tears filled the corners of her eyes. Five horrible, miserable years that messed up everything. Stupid well. "I tried to come back, but couldn't, and —"

"And when you could come back it brought you here instead."

She stared at him, shrinking back even though he wouldn't let go of her hand. "Yes."

Kagome figured Kouga either wouldn't believe her or would think she was a loony. She wasn't sure what would be worse. Kouga and his friends were all she had left in this world.

Had she really thought that?

Well it was kind of true, especially if the well would never let her back through. The thought filled her with anguish.

"Kagome, how much different is your time?"

"Right now, about 400 years in the future."

Kami, she sounded insane! He was never going to believe her. If anything he was going to laugh at her and declare her barking mad.

"That's why you are still young and alive? Because of this well. It ... made a mistake?"

Kagome nodded shyly.

"It brought you to me. And you cannot go back home?"

Mama, Souta and Grandpa... If the well had its way, she would never see them ever again.

Tears began to pour down her face as she shook her head. "I tried but it doesn't work. I don't... I don't think I can go home. I can't undo what I have done."

She felt pathetic. "I am sorry, Kagome."

She turned away from him, to save face. In spite of her tears, she smiled as she wiped at her face. "It's okay, really. It brought me back here to you and Ginta and Hakakku and Ayame." She laughed. "It can't be that bad when I have a pack, r—"

Just then, arms reached around her waist from behind, and the air rushed from her lungs. His arms anchored her to his chest, as she cried even harder. She realized Kouga was the only thing keeping her standing.

Never mind the feel of his arms wrapped around her or the feel of his chest against her back. She sighed, relishing in the comfort and warmth it brought her. She would question the wrong or rightness of it later.

"You will always have your pack. I will always be here. This will always be your home."

Shaking in his arms, Kagome shook her head. "Y-you can't promise that to me. You can't promise to always be there."

A chill wrapped around her as his arms slipped from her body. There was a brief silence as he circled to face her. She felt the calloused pads of his thumb wipe the tears from her face. His thumb and forefinger coming to hold her chin, beckoning  
her to meet his gaze. He stared into shimmering eyes.

"You are hurt," he proclaimed. "And I am sorry for that. I will do what I can to make you happy. And I will always be here to protect you, to care for you. I give you my word."

Kagome stared back, finding it difficult to breathe. Kouga was unbelievably loyal, romantic and hopelessly in love with her.

Still it was difficult to ignore her own feelings, the physical and immediate reaction she had to him. The attraction was certainly new, but she reasoned she could be attracted to any good looking man if she was so shallow. However, one man she  
considered to be handsome and one who had been one of her closest companions for a period of time, one who confessed his unyielding affection for her was a completely different story.

Kagome could almost laugh. If it were not for the close stance of the wolf demon caressing her face, that is. Not much had changed in one hundred years. Kouga was still as forward and honest with his feelings for her as ever. It was all very confusing. 

* * *

Author Note: for some reason when I post these chapters here it has been posting with all these errors with spacing and spelling. Not sure why . Sorry about that. Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

Summary: It was 5 years before the well opened again. Something goes wrong.

Chapter 5:

After all that Ayame and Hakkaku had told her of Kouga, Kagome anticipated having to fend him off with a broom. She found that for the most part he left her alone. She went about her day as normal as she could, ignoring the feel of his eyes on her every  
/second.

She also noticed a heavier presence of the brown and grey wolves that usually followed her, along with Ginta. Ginta following her was new.

Breath puffed from her lips, blowing hair off her face. Her arms were heavy with furs she had taken to the springs to wash. Ginta insisted upon carrying them but she refused his help. She refused to be seen as some damsel.

Kagome felt the brushing of the brown wolf's tail, swishing back and forth as they walked. "You don't have to do this, you know? Watch me," she said knowingly, stopping to hoist the furs that had slipped.

Ginta tried to play off the awkward yet true accusation. "Watch you? I'm not, I just figured we don't talk enough."

She spun on her heel again and stared Ginta square in the eye. "Level with me, Ginta. Did he ask you to follow me around?"

The fellow wolf demon opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of water, snorting, feigning bemusement at her accusation. "Well, o'course not!"

Kagome sighed. "Ginta, I'm almost positive there are more important things Kouga could have you doing besides babysitting me."

Ginta rubbed the back of his head, his cheeks pinking. He knew there wasn't any use lying now. "Just following orders," he mumbled.

They had made it to the springs and Kagome sank to her knees with thanks. Her back was killing her.

As she began to wash, Kagome regarded the male wolf demon. She couldn't be mad if Kouga had ordered him to watch over her. Actually it was kind of... sweet.

After soaking one of the larger furs, she realized how heavy it would be to carry these back. The task of getting them back on her own would be near impossible with her strength alone.

She peered over towards Ginta once more, wiping sweat from her brow. "I suppose we would get back a lot quicker with your help."

Ginta warmed at the suggestion and rose to help.

* * *

Kouga went almost the entire day without speaking to her.

That evening as the den gathered to eat, Kagome grabbed some food and found herself eye to eye with Ayame. Ayame who had left her awkwardly alone with Kouga this morning. Ayame who she vowed to murder for her actions, or at least severely maim.

Ayame who was holding fruit and grinning like a fool, bouncing on her heels.

"Hi Ayame—"

"You should go sit with him!" Ayame exclaimed with excitement.

Kagome knew wolves had excellent hearing. She knew exactly where he was seated and could feel his eyes on her even now. Could he hear their conversation?

"I don't know, Ayame," she whispered, chancing a glance in his direction before quickly looking away. Their eyes had dead locked. "How do I know if he wants me to..."

"Oh come on!" Ayame threw a hand on her hip. "He hasn't been able to keep his eyes off you since he got back."

Kagome hid her eyes beneath her lashes as she considered. She looked up and gazed over towards the wolf prince whose eyes burned into her body.

He raised his hand and wagged his pointer finger for her to come.

Suddenly Kagome found Ayame's wrist in a vice grip.

"Ayame, I'm scared," she whispered, praying he couldn't hear her or read lips.

Ayame turned to her friend. "Of Kouga? What is there to be afraid of?" she snorted. She clearly wasn't afraid of him hearing them. "I mean he is scary if you're an enemy but he is otherwise harmless."

Harmless. Right. Friend. Her friend Kouga who was probably dying for some of her attention after one hundred years without her. A friend who was in love with her and held a century old claim on her. Who called upon instinct that she was

to be his.

It was almost like a fairytale.

Almost.

Kagome gathered her courage, took a deep breath, and walked over to where Kouga sat. She would not be afraid or intimidated, no matter how handsome Kouga was with his hair down, his muscles or tan skin. In fact, the closer she grew the calmer

she felt. The more right being near him felt.

His eyes were fully upon her now as she stood a mere ten feet away. Bright blue eyes feasting on her body. As she sat down on her heels — the only proper way to sit in the short skirt of fur she wore — she held his eye contact.

He chuckled, breaking the silence between them. In his opinion she simply was not close enough. If he had his way, she would be much closer. Seated on his lap. His fingers tangled in her hair. His lips on her neck — wait!

His eyes closed as he fought to wrestle his urges.

"Kouga?"

Her gentle voice said his name, just his name and it forced his eyes to open. The soft features of her face stared back. He was pleased with her ease in his presence.

How had he not noticed it before? In the light of the fire. The black and blue, barely but definitely there, handprint around her throat. He forgot about pleasantries and had to reign every bit of his self control.

He was furious.

"Who dared to bring harm to you?"

She startled, her hand smacking soundly against her neck as her brain caught up. Her throat. Sesshomaru.

Ass hole or not, she couldn't rat him out. Could she?

"It's not important who," she answered, trying to cover her neck with her hair, her food forgotten.

He growled low in his chest and she almost backed up in alarm. What should she do? Her heart said she needed to cool things down before he blew up. She had a natural urge to soothe him.

"Do you not trust me enough to tell me who hurt you?"

She shook her head, not believing her ears. This wasn't how she anticipated this to go. "It's not that at all."

"Then what is it? Why do you protect this man?!" he snarled, his fists curling.

Against any rational thought, she crawled towards him. He visibly calmed but still seemed on edge.

Would Kouga leave this very moment if she told him who it was? Would he rip the other demon to shreds? She had no doubt of his abilities but she had seen the dog demon in battle. It just was not something she was willing to risk. He was not something  
/she was willing to risk.

"Kouga, please forget it," she whispered, seated in front of him, close enough to touch. "If I tell you, you'll only leave again and you've only just returned!"

She realized both the irony of her statement and that she had said out loud that she did not want him to go.

Kouga seemed to give this some thought. He was pissed off that she would not give him a name but pleased all the same that she did not want him to leave.

He was pleased even more that she was sitting right before him. Her body was both soft and lithe. He told his arms to stay at his side as he envisioned snatching her up into his arms.

"If this man comes looking for you, I will kill him. Do you understand?" he said darkly, his voice quieter.

Kagome nodded. "Yes," she whispered.

Kouga was significantly calmer, but he still frowned. His hand reached for her face and she gasped at his touch. Instantly her body was filled with goosebumps and she could feel every nerve in her body electrify. He was so warm.

"I do not enjoy that another man hurt you. Touched you," he murmured, his fingers tracing the hand print. "My hands would never touch you like this."

Kagome shivered, as she otherwise sat perfectly still. She thought how the wolf prince might touch her given the chance.

Everything within her longed to climb onto his lap and fall asleep. She was so tired and he was so tender with her.

His eyes searched hers. "This is difficult."

She shook her head. "What is?"

He observed her. "This. You. Being so close after so many years..." His voice trailed off as if he had over spoken.

Kagome's eyes brimmed with tears that she blinked back and her chest ached. "Does it hurt for me to be beside you?"

He shook his head, taking her hand instead, staring at her lap. "It is just difficult. Not bad, just hard to be so close to you. I do not want to be the arrogant boy who chased you away one hundred years ago. It is just... my instincts..." His

eyes pierced hers. "They are... loud."

Kagome swallowed. "Sh-should I... should we not..."

"I claimed you as mine one hundred years ago and I understand that your feelings are not the same, but it doesn't turn my instincts off."

Kagome bit down on her bottom lip as she thought of what to say. "Hakakku said something about it. About your instincts." His eyebrows furrowed together. "As a wolf demon."

Kouga let his hand leave hers only to run his fingers through her hair. Otherwise he waited for her to continue speaking.

His motions were incredibly comforting. She sighed. "Hakakku said that... that your instinct is stronger than anything. That you would walk over one of your men's dead bodies to get to me."

Kouga breathed heavily through his nose, then out. His hand still played in her hair. A grin spread across his face. "That's pretty damn close."

Proudly, Kagome went on. "He said that it goes beyond human understanding." Her cheeks blushed once more. "Beyond human love."

His head tilted and her body seemed to move on its own accord. No longer did she seem to be within control of her brain or her body.

Her body leaned forward and she placed the softest kiss on his cheek. She moved around, her back slapping against the wall as she sat next to him.

Regardless of Kouga's reaction, she knew her face had to be beet red. His fingers turned her face toward hers. "Kouga, I —"

Suddenly he bent down stopping centimeters from her lips, his eyes seeking hers. Aside from feeling rushed, but oddly not rushed, Kagome felt faint.

"Wait!" was Kagome's anxious whisper.

"You do not wish for me to kiss you now." It was not a question and he was not angry or disappointed.

As tears filled her eyes, her hand shot up to grasp onto his strong forearm. "I'm not saying never. I just..." she looked up at him and saw one hundred years of longing. She despises the well for what it had done to her and her friends. "I need

more time. I can't ask you to wait but—"

"But I will," he said, resolutely, getting to his feet. There was no room for argument. He was insistent. "I understand."

He reached down to help her up and as she stood, repeating her actions, he leaned down and placed a kiss on her cheek.

"What is a little more time? I waited a lifetime for you."

* * *

Author note: A human's lifetime anyway. This chapter is a bit shorter than the last. I promise to write soon! Thanks for the love!


	6. Chapter 6

Summary: It was 5 years before the well opened again. Something goes wrong.

Chapter 6:

It was dark. Pitch black dark.

Kagome woke with chills that shook her almost violently. The large brown wolf that normally followed her rested his chin on her thigh, whimpering.

As her eyes adjusted marginally to the darkest dark, the grey wolf sat up and placed his paw on her arm, his deep golden eyes full of worry.

Her head felt heavy and her body weak. She felt clammy and her teeth shook with fever.

She had gone to sleep that night and woke feeling sick as a dog. She needed help, that was certain.

Mama? Hospital? The crushing reality came back. There was no Mama and no hospital. Her eyes welled up with tears.

How she would have died for some of Grandpa's magic elixir. Or at least that's what Souta had always called it. Kagome knew it was just chicken noodle soup.

To her left, she could make out the silhouette of a wolf demon. Was it Hakkaku? One of Kouga's other men? Ginta?

She used every bit of energy she had to try and stand to no avail. Her body had betrayed her. So much for not looking like a damsel in distress.

Testing her voice, she called out to the den. "Help!" Her voice was raspy and her throat ached. The wolf demon to her left roused and clambered to their feet. The man clumsily stumbled at her call of distress.

"Sister?" Ginta crouched in front of her, surveying her wilting form. "Sister!"

Kagome cleared her throat. "Ginta, I'm sick."

After much thought and consideration, Ginta pressed his palm against her throat. He didn't know much about humans, but he was pretty sure they were not supposed to run that warm. She was definitely ill.

"I'll fetch Kouga, you need him," Ginta decided diplomatically, standing and disappearing before she could protest.

She would be fine if only she could have some cold water, or a blanket. Or both. She didn't need Kouga to have a reason to not get much needed rest. A weak leader meant a weak pack, didn't it? Kouga needed to sleep, too. She couldn't be selfish.

Kouga had approached before she could try standing again. She was lifeless except for the moans coming from her mouth and sweat coated her forehead.

"Kagome?"

"She is feverish, boss," Ginta offered. "Her skin, it's—"

A growl sounded from the pack leader. "This is my fault."

"What do we do, boss?"

Kouga didn't answer and Ginta didn't press, sensing better. The wolf prince snapped his fingers and the wolves that had clambered over his woman scattered. He scooped her up in his arms and began carrying her away.

The only clue she had that they had left the den was the moonlight over head. A night breeze made her shivering worse.

She was a doll in his arms, dead weight, leaning her head against his shoulder. Her hair stuck to her temple, slick with sweat. She had no strength.

Where did wolf demon take their sick? Did they have a healer? Would he dump her outside their camp until she got over her fever? Surely not.

"Kouga, where are you taking me?"

He held back the whimper that threatened to escape his mouth. This pained him. He didn't like to see his woman sick or hurt.

"Gonna make you better. Just relax," he said firmly, holding her tightly against him.

He walked for so long she almost had fallen back into slumber. Almost. She heard a swishing and swirling of — what was that noise? It wasn't until he had waded hip deep that she felt the unwelcome coldness of it lick the bottom of her feet that dangled  
down.

Kouga stood in a body of freezing cold water. The cold springs.

Her body shot upward and away from the water, screeching, burying her face in his hair and neck. She was not so sick that she could not understand what he was going to do; he planned to dunk her in the freezing water to bring down her fever. It would  
be painful.

"Kouga-kun! P-please!" she cried, her voice raspy and high. "Please don't!"

"I have to bring your temperature down," he murmured into her hair, in an attempt to comfort her. In spite of the good it would do, he hated himself for what he was about to do. "I have to protect you."

"I — I can — please, I—"

The water felt bone chilling. She would die for sure. He just couldn't. He wouldn't be so cruel.

Before she could protest further, the strong man holding her up pushed her body into the water, submerging her entirely.

Her body reacted violently against the iciness of the springs, made only worse by her fever.

As she rose from the water, she took in a loud lung full of air, leaping out of the water and back into his arms. Instantly, she burst into tears and he held her firmly in his arms. She latched on and didn't relinquish her hold.

He sighed. A quick dunk was not going to be enough. He needed her to stay submerged for longer.

"Please, Kouga, don't!" she screeched as he moved deeper into the water. Her hold was almost suffocating but he endured it.

He waded until the water came up to his chest.

Her racking sobs probably woke the dead, but she couldn't hold it in. The cold of the springs burned her skin. She pressed herself even closer to Kouga, who despite even a freezing spring was still warm.

When her cries quieted, after many minutes, he waded out of the water, holding her cold body in his arms. If nothing else, her body no longer shook.

Both of them were drenched, Kagome's entire head was soaked.

Was Kouga holding her? She was exhausted and perhaps a little delirious, but she fairly certain he was holding her.

"Kouga-kun?"

"Hnn."

"Will you stay beside me?"

He stared down at her as he walked with her still in his arms, back to the den.

"When we go back to sleep? T-tonight?" she asked, half asleep.

He growled appreciatively. Sick or not, his woman longed for his presence as she slept. Anyway she was crazy if she thought he would allow her to sleep in such a state. "Yes."

Kagome's eyes fluttered shut. 

* * *

The following morning, Kagome woke with a stretch. Her head and neck felt so heavy, she was pretty sure she wouldn't be able to stand. Especially not with a bronze, muscular arm laying over her stomach.

She tried to think about the night before and remembered only bits and pieces. She was sick and running a fever. She remembered Kouga bringing her to the springs and then dunking her. She didn't feel shaky or feverish anymore, but didn't feel well  
enough to be walking around.

Looking to her left, Kouga rested peacefully and innocently enough. He was close enough that she could count his eye lashes. As he rested quietly, she observed the masculine facial features, his cheek bones, nose, lips. Her hand reached up but resisted  
making contact with his skin.

Despite feeling unwell, she smiled. She had never seen him look so rested.

"Kagome." Eyes fluttered open and she saw that Kouga was no longer asleep. "Are you still feeling unwell?"

While this wasn't a hospital or Grandpa's chicken soup, it was still pretty fantastic.

She tried not to blush as she shook her head. Her eyes clenched shut; even that movement hurt.

Bright blue eyes surveyed her from top to bottom and back up. He frowned. "You lie to me."

Kagome frowned back, shoving his heavy arm from her waist. She stood up, shakily, and crossed her arms over her chest.

"See? I'm fine. I'm not lying," she said watching his amusement at her stubbornness.

Kouga rolled from his floor position to stand in front of her, completely invading her space. The grin that painted his face reflected knowing mischief.

"You see, there's this thing you do when you're lying," he said, huskily. Her cheeks pinked at his bare upper body so close to her.

Kagome huffed and glared, making eye contact. It was difficult given Kouga's proximity and height.

"That's ridiculous," she spat, looking away, her knees shaking. She still felt weak.

He stepped just an inch closer, leaning down. "Your lip twitches when you're telling a lie. And," his fingers tipped her chin to look at him, "your heart starts racing."

Kagome blinked. While the first part was true, she thought her heart beating erratically had more to do with his lack of clothing than her lying.

She almost rolled her eyes at herself. _Get a grip, girl!_

"Kouga, please I'm fine," she tried. "See?" With that, she spun around quickly. Too quickly. Just as her knees gave, a pair of strong arms pulled her body against a muscular chest.

Eyes locked, hips touched and Kagome tried to ignore how good and safe his arms felt.

"See? You're full of shit," he said with a smirk, sitting her down on the blanket of furs they had been laying on and kneeling. "Stubborn and full of it."

Kagome sighed, rubbing her hand over her face. "Okay, I feel like death warmed up. I just figured you had more pressing matters than to watch over me." She looked up at him, hoping to garner enough sympathy for him to forgive her. "You have a pack  
to take care of."

Kouga sighed and sat down close to her, his fingers running over her hair. "I can't do my job as pack leader knowing that the person I care about most is sick," he said, his voice low. "I am no good for them without you."

Kagome looked down shyly. "Kouga, I — "

He smirked, pausing his fingers in her hair to think. "You don't have to say anything. Just let me take care of you and get better."

Staring at the ground still, Kagome brightened a little.

"I don't have a choice in the matter, do I? And even if I did, I know you would find someone else to do it," she said, answering her own question. 

* * *

By dinner time, Kagome had slept most of the day and was feeling much better. To her knowledge, Kouga had never once left her side. Each time she roused, he was there to make her drink water or broth, or just stroking her hair while her head rested  
on his lap.

After the morning, she didn't bother trying to push him off to his obligations, since he had made it very clear that she was his main priority.

The only time Kouga left her was to grab them dinner. As he left, Ayame approached.

"Ayame!" Kagome knew she had seen the wolf demoness only the night before, but she found she did miss her profoundly.

The red haired woman took a seat beside her, watching as Kouga left range of hearing. At least that's what Kagome figured she was doing. They were wolves and they had excellent hearing. Was anyone ever out of earshot?

"Do anything interesting today?" the raven haired woman asked conversationally.

Ayame shrugged. "Killed a few wild boar." She bit into the apple in her hand. "We thought we smelled a demon not far from here but then the trail disappeared."

We're there still demon after Naraku had been defeated? Of course there must be. But were they really at with each other still without the Shikon jewel?

"You feeling better yet?" Ayame asked, changing the subject.

Kagome huffed, stretching her legs out in front of her. She figured the word had got out.

"Oh yeah. Was I that loud?"

Ayame nearly choked on her bite of fruit. Kagome thumped on her back.

She could only piece together what the other girl had been thinking of.

"I had a fever and Kouga brought me to the cold spring," she said, face ringing pink at Ayame's crudeness. "With my fever it was extra cold."

Ayame giggled, waving her off. "Oh, I know that. When he brought you back, both of you were soaked to the bone."

Ayame threw her apple core right at Ginta's head, and he looked around confused.

"Anyway, he wouldn't let anyone touch you," Ayame continued. "He made the guys start a fire and he held you almost all night. Until you were dry, ya know?"

"He didn't." Kagome stared at the back of Kouga's head amongst the crowd gathering food. As if sensing her stare, he turned and met her eyes. He looked at her with a softness in his eyes before winking and turning back.

"He did," Ayame confirmed. "He cares about you a lot. You know that, don't you?"

Kagome felt choked up. "Ayame, it — it isn't like that."

"Are you sure it's not like that? Or couldn't be?" Ayame stood up and Kagome's eyes followed. "Remember what I said, Kagome. Give him a chance."

"I'm trying!" she whispered back. "It's just a lot. What he wants is a lot."

Ayame turned to glare at the other girl, exhaustion in her features. "What he wants is you. He just wants you and he hasn't shut up about it for a hundred years."

With that the red haired woman sauntered away, leaving Kagome stunned.


	7. Chapter 7

Summary: It was 5 years before the well opened again. Something goes wrong. 

Chapter 7:

 _A callous hand stroked over her bare hip and her body arched up, soft noises of pleasure emitting from her lips._

Kagome's body shot up from her sleeping position with her chest heaving with labored breath.

Looking around, she sighed with relief. No one seemed to have stirred with her theatrics. She sighed with relief, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead.

Weeks had gone on like this. She spent every single night with these fantasies, unable to sleep most nights and spending the following day being uselessly tired.

While time passed, Kagome tried to stay busy. Which was difficult when you kept company with wolf demons. She wasn't fast or strong, she couldn't protect or keep guard or alert the pack of a dangerous demon. So she gathered herbs for medicine and

food and mostly tried to keep out of the way.

Kouga for the most part seemed to respect her space and didn't push for more than she said she wanted. They still spent plenty of time together. Meals for instance, had become so uncomfortable. While he gave her physically space, his eyes stripping  
/her made her so nervous that half the time she couldn't eat.

Another night had passed with her waking in... shock, soaked in sweat and feeling bothered. Kagome gingerly got to her feet and did her best to sneak out of the den without disturbing the surrounding sleeping demon and wolves.

The chill of the morning air made the hair on her arms stand up and she took a deep breath. Autumnmust be coming. It had been two months since Kagome had joined the wolf demon pack, perhaps longer.

It was a small walk down to the warm spring. At the bed of the spring, Kagome hesitated before disrobing. She made quick of bathing and quick put her clothes back on. Her body was quickly freezing. She wrung out her hair and it drip-dropped onto the  
/muddy ground. Then she hastily moved to return to the den before anyone could notice her absence.

A few moments of peace was hard to come by these days. Wolves and wolf demon slept together, ate together, and to her horror _bathed_ together.

Kagome stopped a moment to survey her feet and sighed. Already they were covered in mud. Oh well.

She should have sensed his presence, should have been more careful. She looked up when she suddenly felt an arm around her waist tug her back, than a mouth close by her ear. Her hair, still damp, clung to her arms

"Where are you headed, pretty thing?"

The voice behind her made her skin crawl.

"None of your business," she seethed. "Now get off me." She tried to elbow him and he either didn't feel it or it didn't hurt enough for him to acknowledge out loud.

"Nah, I don't think I will." Her stomach turned over as he stepped closer, pressing himself against her.

She hated wolf demons. Right now, she hated them for being able to sense her heart beat and smell her tears. She blamed adrenaline for her racing heart.

His face neared her throat and she stilled. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes and she ground her teeth together as she spoke, her voice holdin a darkness that was not like her. "Kouga will **kill** you."

She smelled the retched breath of the foul beast behind her as he grew closer and chuckled. She tried not to vomit. "Will he? Are you mated to him? Sure doesn't smell like that to me."

Kagome stomped on his foot and he only cackled.

"What are you going to do? Rape me?" she taunted, knowing she shouldn't, trying to keep the sound of her distress from her voice. "He'll only tear you apart, painfully slow I can imagine." She tried to wrench her arm free of his hold with no success.  
/"He will break every bone in your body and then he'll tear you into pieces. Am I worth it?"

"Even so," his lips pressed against her neck. "Perhaps."

"Kouga is your leader and I'm —"

"A human," the demon behind her spat. Tears broke fresh down her cheeks and she took in a lung full of air. "Whatever he's told you is a lie. Demon cannot love a mere human such as yourself."

"Y-you don't know what you're talking about!" she was practically shouting. She wasn't sure where it had come from.

"Don't be a fool, Otake." Hakkaku. Hakkaku was behind her! Her body almost collapsed with relief.

"Release our sister or we will be forced to hurt you."

So Otake was his name.

The man known as Otake barked with laughter. "You men shame the wolf demon kind. Protecting a tiny human girl."

"Release her to me unharmed or I'll kill you, Otake." Kagome's head snapped to attention at the sound of his deep and commanding voice. "Do you really wish to die today?"

Otake gripped her arms even harder. "I could rip her in half. Does your precious human know that?" His foul breath made her gag and lurch forward. Otake yanked her backward into his chest.

If the pack leader was afraid he sure didn't show it. His face turned into a dark scowl, a growl pouring from his chest. "If you harm even a hair on her head, you will die, Otake. I may still kill you anyway."

"S'what if I mark her then? Right here in front of you. She ain't nobody's and then she would be mine."

At the thought, Kouga's eyes bled red straight through and his hand curled into fists as he paced around Otake.

"Kouga, don't!" Kagome begged. His world stopped as his eyes returned to normal. "He's baiting you! Don't fall for it!"

She made eye contact with him over Otake's shoulder praying he would see through her words. She only meant to distract Otake and give them a chance.

Faster than she could see, Hakkaku ripped his clawed fingers through Otake's back and yanked out his heart. A look of shock flitted across his face before his eyes rolled in the back of his head and he started to fall.

In slow motion, Kagome escaped Otake's collapsing frame and his body thudded to the ground in the dirt. Otake's heart rested still in Hakkaku's hand, his arm soaked in blood up to his elbow.

Hakkaku looked at her with alarm, realizing what he had done in front of her. "Sister, I'm so sorry."

Without waiting, Kouga closed the distance between them and palmed her cheek. "My darling, are you hurt?"

His concern touched her and she leaned into his touch. "No." Her voice was small.

Before she could say anything more, Kouga had her in his arms and carrying back within the protection of their den. He walked over sleeping demon and passed women asking in whispers what had happened. A growl told the others that they were not to

disturb him. He took her to a secluded area of the den, that was lit with a small fire, and the break of day. This must be where he slept at night.

His back slid down against the wall and he sat with her cradled in his arms, breathing in her scent. She was scared but alive and still his.

Once it was quiet and still, Kagome broke into sobs. "I — I'm s— I'm sorry, I—"

Kouga buried his face against her throat and in her hair.

"I never — I never meant for th-this to happen! I just w-wanted a bath. He — he grabbed me and I —"

Kouga held her around the waist even as she turned to cry on his chest, her hands clasped around his neck. He needed to calm her tears and comfort her. His hands roamed down her waist and he continued to nuzzle her neck.

She calmed almost instantly, her body shivering at his touch.

"What did Otake say to you?" Kouga asked once he was certain she had calmed.

Kagome pinked and looked away. She felt the need to escape. "He said that you didn't love me — couldn't love me, because I'm a human, and you're, well..."

She looked at him then and realized the magnificence of him. His muscled chest, arms, back, abdomen and legs. His long brown hair. The strong lines of his face. He looked like a warrior, a feudal era Adonis. Anyone that crossed him should be afraid  
/and women would fall in worship at his feet.

Still, Otake's words, however untrue they may have been, struck a cord in her heart and she wasn't sure why. Why would it hurt her to hear someone else say that Kouga couldn't and didn't love her? Why did her defenses go up when Otake spewed such

lies?

And in spite of everything, especially her humanity, Kouga still wanted her. Just her, no one else. A century could not shake his feelings. Now THAT was commitment.

Calloused hands palmed over her cheek and down her neck. She realized Kouga was checking for her pulse. Still his touch did something to her.

"Did it bother you that Otake said I could not love you?" came his rumbling voice.

Kagome huffed, needing no time to think about it. She clenched and unclenched her jaw. "Yes."

It bothered her.

What Otake had said bothered her. It more than bothered her.

Kouga turned her chin to face him. He was so close. Too close. His lips were millimeters away.

He sighed into her skin and breathed her in. "I don't want you going anywhere by yourself anymore."

He looked her in the eyes, feeling the need to explain. "I'm afraid to lose you. Because you aren't anyone's I'm afraid someone will take you from me."

Kagome sniffed and stilled as Kouga wiped a tear from her face. "I'm not going anywhere."

Kagome took in the close proximity of the man before her. She was afraid of things moving too quickly and she didn't know if she was strong enough to resist him.

"But I am afraid of being taken from you, too," she confessed shyly. Gently, she rested her head on his shoulder. His hand drew small circles over her back and he felt the dampness of her hair, smelled the faint lingering of her arousal that the springs  
/had not washed away. He had smelled it on her every night since her dreams began.

He had decided long ago that he would not force her, but it gave him hope. She was attracted to him.

His hand tangled in her damp waves. "I won't let that happen."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

A week had passed and Kouga had kept true to his word.

 _"I don't want you going anywhere by yourself anymore."_

As unnerving as it was to have Kouga follow her every step, Kagome tried to honor his wishes. Truthfully, she wished to put some space between them so she could figure out her seemingly complicated feelings, but it didn't seem like the wolf prince wasgoing  
to let that happen anytime soon.

As they passed another male from his pack and Kouga growled threateningly, Kagome had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. She sighed and kept walking. She shouldn't be so annoyed seeing as she had insisted she go on a walk. She should have expectedhim  
to act like this after Otake.

Kagome felt sickly as she turned the memory over in her head.

Otake. The disgusting man who threatened to tear her in half and mate her in front of Kouga practically in the same sentence.

Hakkaku. Her brother who ruthlessly ripped Otake's heart out. Kagome shivered, remembering the barely there pressure of Hakkaku's fingers where he had punched straight through, like a bullet, then back through, ending Otake's life in a matter of  
protect her.

The aftermath of the incident, how her hands wouldn't stop shaking, how close she had come to being lost to instinct forever. To a vile man who sickened her, a man she hated. If Otake had bit her, marked her, mated her, would her feelings have changed?Would  
she have changed? Is that how it was for some of the females? The thought terrified her.

And Kouga. The one who walked as her equal beside her, not showing any fear, confident that they would overtake Otake, and then showing her fear when they were alone. His one fear: that he should lose her to another.

Kagome felt the weight of her guilt and frowned sadly. Of course he would act like this. How dare Otake do this to them?

Otake. The man who planted ugly thoughts in her mind. _Demon cannot love a mere human such as yourself_. And how the thought had bothered her, an ache in her chest, a constant pressing of her heart. Why did it bother her so much? She knew Otake'swords  
were not true. Inuyasha had loved her, had he not? He had... he had something.

Otake was a dead man and nothing more. Still his words plagued Kagome, and she began comparing herself to the other woman of the pack.

To start there was Ayame. A beautiful red haired demon, intelligent and witty, and somehow just the right amount of brutally and tactfully honest. The other women of the tribe were much of the same. Tall, long haired beauties, full bodied and  
couldn't hold a candle next to them and it saddened her deeply.

Why did Kouga not go for a woman like Ayame? What was so special about her humanity? That she lived an oddly short life by comparison? That she was weak and frail and hopelessly needy? Frail was a dramatic word. Kagome squared her shoulders. She wasanything  
but frail, but she wasn't fast or a striking beauty or physically strong like a wolf demon. Of course she wasn't, she was just a human.

Noticing her forlorn state, Kouga decided to ask her what was wrong.

Kagome was thrown off by his senses. Wolf senses be damned. She looked down at her feet for a moment, stopping completely.

"I'm just overthinking is all," she tried to smile.

"Should I worry when you do that?" he asked with a smirk and a wink her way. She playfully pushed his shoulder.

"No, you big jerk," she said with a flirty smile.

"What are you thinking about then?" He pulled at her hand, guiding them over to a secluded area shaded with trees and a small pond. It was a peaceful area.

Kouga sat down cross legged and looked up at her, waiting for her to follow. For a moment, Kagome hesitated, unsure of how she was to sit. Thankfully Kouga helped her out. His hands gripped her waist and pulled her down onto his lap without giving it  
a second thought.

Kagome's cheeks pinked and she tried to reposition herself, only to more awkwardly position herself sideways across his lap.

Kouga was unmoved by their proximity. However, Kagome was not yet as comfortable in his presence. At least not alone and not this close. He must have read the look on her face.

"To protect you," he explained, his fingers combing through her hair. His gaze was so intense she had to look away. "Now, tell me again what's on your mind."

"I guess," she bit her lip, "I was thinking about Otake." She watched his face go from playfulness to confusion.

Kouga sighed. "Are you still thinking about what he told you?"

Kagome nodded. "And I don't disagree with him entirely."

"You don't think a demon can love a human," he repeated.

"Maybe not so much that they can't, but that maybe they shouldn't," Kagome clarified, her voice quiet.

He gazed at her meaningfully. "Otake was a foolish man who didn't know what he was talking about."

Kagome carried on, barely hearing him, her mind only hearing doubt. "I can't run fast or leap from cliffs or fight a demon. I'm not freakishly strong and I can't run for more than ten minutes without getting tired."

At first Kouga laughed. Of all the foolish things to worry about. His gaze followed her lips as she spoke, tucking hair behind her ear.

"Do you think I care about any of that?"

Her face took on a panicky edge and she began talking with her hands moving wildly. "I'm not helpful in a way that matters. Nobody needs me." Even as she said it, she knew it to be untrue. She may not always be helpful, but she could think of someonewho  
would argue to the death the opposite.

Kouga sighed loudly, still strumming his fingers through her hair.

For a moment she thought about his gesture. He was... grooming her? Animals did this as a form of bonding. He was trying to get closer to her.

"Stop this foolish talk. I need you. You matter to me."

"But why?"

Kouga only shook his head. "My pack is fond of you and the cubs follow you everywhere. You are kind. And resourceful. Never have we had access to so many different medicines. You think of me and my pack before yourself. Your beauty is unmatched toeven  
that of the stars in the night sky and I adore you."

All of what he said was so nice and so much more than what Kagome expected him to say. She was floored at his unapologetic adoration.

"Do you?" she asked, turning to look at him shyly. "Adore me?"

Kouga grinned revealing his fang. "I hold no shame in my affections for you."

"Kouga, can I ask you something?"

He stared back at her, never stopping the ministrations of his hands. "You know you can."

Kagome swallowed the lump in her throat and stood from her place on his lap. He stood to follow her.

"I want something."

Kouga regarded her and grinned, his fangs showing, watching her pace back and forth. "Ask me and it's yours."

Wringing her hands, she released a sigh and spun on her heels to face him.

A memory of Hakkaku's voice invaded her thoughts. _"I still hear him say your name in his sleep."_ And Ayamesaying _"What he wants is you. He just wants you and he hasn't shut up about it for a hundred years."_

She wanted to give him a chance. She wanted to see if there would be a spark, to see if there was something more to his, to his claim, if the instinct worked on both ends. Just because he felt something, would she? And how would she know ifshe never  
tried? Would it be so awful of her to test the waters?

"Kiss me."

Kouga hesitated for only a moment before closing the distance between them and crashing into her. Instantly everything was fire. He was a match and she was a wick doused in gasoline. His hands cradled her face as he kissed her, open mouthed, tastingevery  
inch of her pretty pink lips.

Give him an inch and Kouga was going to take a mile when it came to Kagome. He had been prepared to kiss her since her return and only held back at her request. Now she had asked him to kiss her. She wanted him, desired him in some way.

As he deepened their embrace, he could feel the cold metal of her armor. Kagome heard the wolf prince growl at the obstruction.

His hands wanted to feel more. A true wolf in want of his intended. The want burned in his hands.

Recognizing her need for air, he released her lips, only to return his own to the sensitive skin along her neck. His tongue came out, dragging long wet and hot strokes against her skin. Kagome was surprised at the moan that escaped her and she pushedweakly  
against his chest.

"W-wait!" Even her protest felt wrong, tasted bitter on her tongue. This felt so good and so right. She didn't want him to stop or slow down. Her hands snuck around his neck, holding him closer. She was on fire.

Clawed fingers clasped her waist, lips and tongue caressed her neck, and Kagome was lost.

Time.

You need time.

To think.

Stop.

Time.

If she didn't stop him... they would make love in the middle of the forest for anyone to walk up on them.

"Kouga!" she said louder. His body froze at her command and she peeled herself away from his arms. She adjusted her hair over her shoulder nervously.

She couldn't be angry with him. After all, she had asked him.

Chancing a shy glance his way, she saw the smirk on his lips as he shifted his weight to one hip, arms folded over his chest.

She huffed, realizing she was out of breath. "Too fast. We need to... I need to slow down."

Kouga shrugged. "Okay."

Turning back on the path back to the den, Kouga bumped his arm against her shoulder as they walked, craning to catch her eyes.

"Can I do that again? Kiss you," he asked hoarsely. He chuckled when her face pinked.

Kagome bit her lip, giving it some thought. Kissing Kouga had been better than any other kiss she had ever had. Too good. So perhaps there was something to this whole instinct thing.

But wouldn't that mean essentially giving her mind, body and spirit to him? Could she do that? Would it change her? Would she ever see Mama and Souta again? Did it matter?

"Is that all you can think about?" she asked. She playfully shoved him and he hardly moved. "Kissing me?"

Kouga whistled thoughtfully. "You don't want to know what I think about."

Kagome glared at him. "Behave, wolf."

* * *

Author Note: Heyfolks! Meant to update this way earlier but I've been dealing with health woes. All is well. Enjoy!


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

Kagome wondered how well wolf demon could see in a dimly lit den.

Kagome blushed a deep red when Kouga offered to accompany her on her evening bath. However chivalrous his intentions may have been, she was quite relieved when Ayame offered to go in his place.

Just as Ayame had linked arms with Kagome to leave, Kouga stopped her.

"A minute?" he implored, regarding Ayame with a more serious look.

Ayame nodded and ran off, promising to return momentarily.

Kagome pretended to find something interesting over his shoulder. Through his shoulder? Kami, he was tall. And broad. And staring right at her.

"Kouga, did you need to tell me something?" she asked. The corners of his mouth perked upward when she tilted her head up toward him. She had no idea how cute she looked when she did that.

Before she could question him or make him fall further in love with her, he kissed firmly and warmly on the lips. She wasn't aware that she had leaned into his embrace.

Upon Kouga pulling away, Kagome felt dizzy and stumbled backward. Her lashes fluttered and she looked back at his face. His eyes seemed brighter than ever before and he did not seem apologetic to have kissed her so abruptly.

"What was that for?"

Kouga tucked hair behind her ear. "I wanted to."

His voice and breath warm against her face made her shiver.

"Oh. Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

Kouga mimicked her head tilt almost accidentally while he grinned.

"No."

Kagome nodded, taking that moment to realize she was looking him up and down. First his lips, his shoulders, chest, arms, abdomen, then back up to his eyes.

 _I'm checking him out! Oh no!_

Kouga's smirk broadened as he watched her give him a once over, her scent of excitement in the air.

She took one step back, and then another. For every step back, Kouga followed. He caught her around the waist and tugged her into him. He captivated her attention with his eyes and made her gasp with a trailing finger over her shoulder.

"Where are you going so fast, my love?" he asked, his voice husky and syrupy sweet. His arms were tight around her and there was no escaping, even if she had wanted to.

She didn't. Something about the wolf demon before her did funny things to her brain and heart, and made her body bend to his desires.

She tried to answer him, truly she did, but his touch left her breathless.

"I — I just—"

Kouga ran his fingertips down her arm and wouldn't release her gaze. When she didn't respond his fingers slowly made their way up her arm and down over her armor covered, heaving chest.

His lips grazed her throat and her body spasmed violently, her nails coming down to dig along his muscular back. He growled with pleasure.

"You were just?"

"Kagome! Where are you? We gotta go!" came Ayame's booming voice just outside the den. At her shout, Kagome snapped out of her trance and took half a step back, though Kouga did not yet release her.

First she looked at the ground before meeting his eyes. The lids of his eyes were hooded, his body was warm and he looked ready to do more than just kiss her again. She needed to break away quickly.

"I should go."

He quirks his eyebrows up at her. "You should."

His lips curled upward revealing a fang before his arms loosened enough for her to step out of them.

Kagome stumbled back.

"Kagome, wrap it up in there! Come on!"

Kagome's eyes never left Kouga's bright blues. "I'm coming!" she shouted back.

Kouga openly gazed her full form as she finally turned and ran out of the den to meet Ayame. She heard him chuckle darkly as she left.

* * *

Ayame was a wolf demon through and through. She had no issue eating raw meat, hunting, sleeping on hard floors every night, or with nudity. Kagome was not used to that.

Once they had reached the hot spring, Ayame was naked in seconds and in the water. Kagome blushed and looked away. The last time she had bathed with another female was when Sango...

Kagome's eyes welled up with tears momentarily before she blinked them away

"You coming in?" Ayame asked, splashing water up at her friend. "The water is just right. You're going to be in heaven!"

Squinting her eyes, Kagome asked, "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure. What?"

"Humans don't normally bathe together so I'm not as comfortable being..."

Ayame nodded in understanding. "Naked. I hear you." Ayame turned and Kagome sighed gratefully. "Though you might want to hurry. Kouga could be lurking anywhere."

Kagome stripped in record time and quickly dunked herself neck deep in the warm spring.

Hearing that she had made it in, Ayame laughed. "I was only joking, Kagome!"

Kagome flushed. "Well it got me in the water so I guess it's alright."

Ayame turned back to her friend, before suddenly dunking beneath the surface. When she came up, she wrung out her bright red hair, leaving both of her breasts exposed. Kagome turned her head away.

Noticing her discomfort, Ayame quickly finished and used her hair to cover her front.

Kagome quickly followed the red haired demons actions and instead of wringing, she copied Ayame and covered her chest with her long black locks.

"I never really asked," Ayame started. "How are you adjusting? To, you know, living in another century? Living away from your family?"

Kagome had since shared with Ayame the wild story of how she had come to be, to disappear and then reappear through an old bone eaters well one hundred years later having hardly aged at all.

Leaning on a grassy edge and kicking her legs out, Kagome hesitated. "I'm... adjusting. The best that I can at least. I still feel out of place amongst a den full of demon, but I feel less out of place than when I got here."

Ayame hmm'ed waiting for the other female to continue.

"Aside from Otake, everyone has been kind if not a bit distant. Besides you, Ginta, Hakkaku and Kouga, I don't have any other friends."

Ayame blushed and Kagome wasn't sure why.

"I heard about Otake. Everyone else's behavior is understanding considering the open claim Kouga still holds." Ayame's face cooled at the minor change in topic. "Plus he's the leader of the pack. Pack laws are pretty serious, Kagome. You don't mess with a mate or an intended. Between another wolf demon, it would mean a fight. If you mess with something of Kouga's, it would likely result in death."

Kagome choked on her words and Ayame regarded her with mild concern. Is that why they killed Otake? Because he was messing with something that wasn't his? Something Kouga considered under his ownership. Of course that's why. She shouldn't feel shocked. It just took on a slightly different meaning is all.

He didn't have Otake killed to protect her, he was killed because Otake threatened to take Kagome away from him.

Her throat felt sticky.

Ayame continued, "What about your family?"

Kagome cleared her throat. "It's hard not seeing them. I left a note for my mother before I left saying I had returned but I didn't plan getting stuck on this side..." her voice trailed off sadly. "I don't mind being here but I miss my mother, my grandpa and my younger brother Souta."

"That sounds really difficult. Do you think the well will ever work again?"

Kagome shrugged. "I hadn't tried it since the day I arrived and found out I couldn't get back. I suppose it could always work but what if time skipped again and what if I couldn't get back here, to this time?"

Ayame smiled sympathetically. "What worries you more? Not ever getting back or not being able to return to the same time?"

Sighing, Kagome flailed her arms dramatically. "I don't know. It's hard to say. On one hand, I'm saddened deeply not being able to see my family again and on the other... here I have you and Hakkaku and Ginta, and —"

"Kouga," Ayame answered knowingly.

Kagome ceased the wild movement of her arms. "Yes."

Ayame pooled some of the warm water in her hands allowing it to trickle between her fingers. "Would you miss him if you couldn't come back? How do you feel about him?"

"Terribly so! And," Kagome stood, waist deep, her breasts still covered by her hair. "I don't know."

"You don't know? Cause he knows how he feels about you."

Kagome splashed the water in frustration. She was lying if she said she didn't know. She knew.

"I like him. As a friend. He's kind when no one is looking and a fierce protector of his friends. He's loyal to a fault and he's incredibly smart."

Ayame frowned.

"And I like him as more than just my friend. He always makes sure I'm safe, fed and warm. He cares for me so deeply and he would crush another person just to ensure my well being. He makes me laugh and he wipes my tears when I cry. He took care of me when I was sick with a fever and watched over me for an entire day, instead of performing his pack duties. He is fiercely attracted to me and it scares the crap out of me! Not to mention how handsome he is...

"And sometimes I think I might love him. Particularly when he is holding my hand or asking if I'm hurt or when he's touching my hair. When he's protecting me from danger or just making sure I have someone to bathe with..."

Ayame laughed at the last part. "Have you told him any of this?"

Kagome shook her head. "No."

Ayame got out of the springs and quickly dressed. Kagome followed, wringing her hair out the best she could before putting on her furs and armor.

When they had walked back up the small hill to the dens, Ayame turned to her friend. "Well you should think about it," Ayame responded. "Telling him, I mean. He's not going anywhere but life is too short, you know? Seize the moment!"

Ayame looked around at the setting sun. "I'll catch you later, Kagome. I've got some stuff I need to do before dinner, okay?"

Kagome waved her friend away, feeling more refreshed than she had in days.

* * *

At dinner, Kagome made eye contact with Kouga from across the den and told herself to be brave. Maybe she wouldn't have to say all that she had confessed to Ayame if she could only show her interest.

She approached where he sat, a bit secluded from the others and asked politely, "Can I join you?"

Kouga nodded his agreement. He expected her to sit in front of or beside him, and she surprised him by seating herself on his lap. After recovering from his shock, he pulled her back flush against his chest. He was incredibly pleased with this shift in her behavior.

She ate her food in quiet but he had long since finished feasting and instead ran his fingers along her tiny waist, up her back and beneath her hair up to her neck. If people could melt from touch, she swore she would have. Instead she leaned against his chest to stop his movements.

His hands rested on her hips and his lips grazed her ear. "How was your bath earlier?"

Kagome bit her lip to keep the gasp between her lips, but could not stop the goosebumps from popping up all over skin.

"Fine. We just talked." She kept speaking to a minimum for fear of what other noises might creep out.

Kouga's response was a grunt and nothing more.

Trying to grow more comfortable in his hold, Kagome leaned against his chest and told herself to relax. When he didn't speak, she began mindlessly running her fingers through her hair.

Finally he spoke. "Not that I mind but what made you decide to join me so _intimately_?" He craned his head over her shoulder to look at her face.

Sitting on his lap. That's all he meant.

Kagome kept messing with her hair, turning quickly to look at him before nervously looking away.

"Nothing I just..." She gave his question honest thought. "I missed you."

Her response nearly took his breath away. She had missed him the short time they were apart? Had she realized what she had said?

"And then you kissed me and I—"

Suddenly the walls of the den violently shook and a sound akin to a symphony of screams pierced the air around them. Kouga gathered them into a standing position, a fierce look in his eyes, growling at the intruder. Who the HELL was on their land?

Unsure of what was happening, Kagome covered her ears and searched Kouga for an answer.

Between shouts of women and yells of, "Boss, get out here!" and the screech of whatever beast was outside, Kouga kissed her forehead before turning away to face what was outside.

As he did, Kagome grabbed his forearm with a cry of, "I want to go with you!"

Kouga frowned and shook his head. "I need you to stay!"

"I want—"

Kouga pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not discussing this. Kagome, I need you! I need you to stay here! Do you understand me?"

With his words, again the walls thunderously shook. Smoke could be seen and screams were heard from many.

With tears in her eyes, Kagome let go of his arm and slowly nodded. Kouga was a man of honor. She knew when he became the tribe leader, he had vowed to protect his own. There were wolf demon that had been his own, long before she had come along. He needed to go, she understood that much.

Before bounding out of the shaking cave, he gave her one last look of longing. Kagome looked after his sprinting form, almost too fast to see before he was gone.

Several of the women had remained in the den with their cubs. One of the women approached Kagome, placing a clawed hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin at the unexpected contact.

A wolf demon stared back, eyes brimming with concern. She was a pretty woman. Her hair was a medium length of brown, her eyes a kind green, her skin a pale brown, similar to Kouga's.

Kagome stared back dumbly, unhearing.

"Hey are you okay?" the woman asked a second time.

It wasn't like something like this hadn't happened before. In fact there were many times they had been attacked. She just didn't know it happened anymore without the sacred jewel to fight over.

Kagome tried to remember the times a demon attacked that Kouga had been there. There was the first time they met of course, when he kidnapped her with the Birds of Paradise. There was also Renkotsu from the Band of Seven who tried to light a small cave with herself, Kouga, Hakkaku, Ginta, and Shippo in it. There ..

All those times Kouga may have been injured, again and again, but he had jewel shards then, hadn't he? And she was fairly sure he had run out without his armor.

A third time, the brunette female before her asked, "You okay?"

Shaking away the memories, Kagome finally responded with a fervent nod.

The kind female smiled even as the walls shook again.

Kagome's knees felt weak.

"Come with us!" The woman tugged on Kagome's hand. "We can go further into the cave for protection. You should follow us!"

Numbly, Kagome began to walk after them before coming to her senses. She pulled her arm out of her grasp and shook her head.

"I can't go with you. I have to stay here!" she shouted above the noise.

Another monstrous wail roared through the air, and Kagome dropped to her knees, her hands clapped over her ears.

When she looked up the other women were gone.

Just then at the mouth of the cave, someone was thrown in. They flew back crumbling and sliding on their back before coming to a halt.

Kagome peered through the dimly lit cave that was becoming darker by the minute with the sunset.

A coward would attack at night, Kagome thought before rushing to the aid of whoever lay mutely on the ground.

As she grew closer, coming face to face with the male demon, she realized it was one of Kouga's closest men.

"Hakkaku"

His silvery white hair was charred and steam poured off his body. He had cuts and wounds along his arm and chest. Bruises developing along his ribs — a broken rib for certain.

She needed to move him and quickly. She didn't have anything to heal him nearby and he needed to move away from the mouth of the den.

Hakkaku frowned and cried out when she attempted to drag him further in the cave.

"I'm sorry, Hakkaku! I have to move you," she explained frantically.

Using care, Kagome slid her arms under his arm pits and emitting all her physical strength, she dug her heels into the ground and pulled. Inch by inch, Hakkaku was moved back into the cave. It took her ten minutes for her to move him twenty feet to the side of the cave and away from the opening. Hakkaku groaned every inch and Kagome fought back tears when the walls shook. Still she wouldn't give up, wouldn't quit.

She had made it about forty feet from where Hakkaku had originally landed before tripping and falling back, Hakkaku's head collapsing on her lap.

Moving him so carefully, she held his head up from her lap before laying it gently back down, kneeling in front of him.

"I'll be back, Hakkaku! Don't move!"

Then Kagome scrambled to her corner of the den that held her medical salves, herbs and supplies. In lieu of bandages, she had various leaves that would have to do. Wolves healed quickly and Hakkaku's wounds didn't appear to be that deep.

Making haste to return, Kagome scrambled to the bruised and bleeding wolf demon laying right where she had left him.

His eyes were closed tightly and his body shook with pain. She unwrapped a mixed salve meant to both heal and soothe, and massaged the paste onto the wound along his forearm, atop his left shoulder and the various small cuts on his face.

After bandaging him the best she could, Kagome sat beside him and prayed.

Amongst the noise and fire and destruction, Hakkaku shocked her by reaching up and grasping her hand. She smiled down at her friend and gently brushed his hair back.

"You're going to be alright."

Hakkaku shook his head. "You're crazy, you know that?" he said hoarsely.

Kagome patted his hand. "A den of wolf demons will do that to a girl."

Hakkaku smiled and coughed as of trying to laugh.

"It was another demon. A large fire demon," he said coughing. "We can't get close enough to it without burning ourselves."

Kagome worried her lip and Hakkaku noticed. He squeezed her hand.

"Don't worry. Kouga is brilliant. He'll think of something."

And with fading energy, Hakkaku slept while the walls shook and and Kagome watched for more injured.

* * *

It was an hour before Kagome saw another person. Another woman ran inside cradling a small child in her arms. A boy.

She was screaming and crying.

"My baby! Someone help! My boy!"

Kagome spared a glance at Ginta who was soundly asleep, before she scrambled to her feet and met the woman at a run. She landed hard onto her knees, ignoring the pain.

"What happened?"

The woman stared back at her. "You're that human, aren't you? What can you do to help my boy?"

Kagome grimaced at her anger. "I'm a..." not a miko. Not anymore. "I'm a healer. May I see him?"

The woman, a mother, cradled the child in her arms. Slowly, she gently laid him on the stone of the den floor.

Kagome bit back a gasp.

The boy was small, maybe the equivalent of five years old — however old he was in demon years, she couldn't begin to guess. His face and body was blistered and red, with third degree burns. His chest moved up and down shallowly as he breathed.

"Help him!"

Kagome hands shook as she reached for her salves. She had never seen burns this bad. He needed real medical attention, a hospital perhaps.

The young boy's chest rose in a rattling breath that shook his slender frame.

"I can... I can..."

She opened her medicine bag and gave him a crushed mixture of valerian root and water, forcing him to drink it down.

At best she could offer him some relief of the pain, but as for his burns. The damage.

He was dying.

Kagome comforted him, stroking his brow, the only part of him that wasn't burnt.

"What's happening?!" the woman screamed.

Tears filled her eyes until she couldn't see. She shook her head, her hair sticking to the mixture of sweat and tears on her face.

"I can't," Kagome said between tears that fell in big fat puddles. "His burns. It's too much. I can't."

The woman became wild in her grief, yelling and slapping the ground. "What did you do? What did you do?!"

"I gave him pain medicine," she answered. "But I can't treat his burns."

A harsh sting was felt across her face and Kagome held her hand on her cheek. She had tried, the burns were too bad.

The woman grieved loudly as her son took a final breath before his body stilled.

"My boy, my boy!" she sobbed, rocking him back and forth in her arms. Kagome reached out to touch her shoulder and the woman thrashed violently away from her.

It was at that moment she realized the screams from outside and the shaking had ceased. What did that mean? Had the demon somehow been vanquished?

Had the forest burned to the ground?

Her eyes tracked to the den entrance, waiting for them to return.

It didn't take long. Men and women began flooding back into the cave, some injured most not. Kagome treated and disinfected and wrapped what she could. Some refused her care, with their small bruises and cuts.

Fires were lit to give light and warmth to the icy den. A low roar broke out over the crowd of demon as they no doubt discussed the previous few hours.

Meanwhile she didn't stop looking for Kouga to return. She treated every last person of mostly burns and cuts, and still he had not returned.

Another hour passed before in came Kouga cradling something in his arms. He looked as though he had faired well minus some cuts she would treat and a burn along his arm.

Something wth red hair rested in his arms. A woman. Something lifeless. Another casualty? Please no.

Red hair and white furs.

"Ay —" Kagome crawled on her hands and knees to her feet. "Ayame!" She broke into a sprint, and it wasn't long before a pair of steel like arms circled her body and held her back.

It was Ginta.

"Ayame! AYAME!" she screamed, trying with all her might to push Ginta away, throwing her body to the ground. He lost his grip for just a moment before grabbing her again, a hand around her leg.

"Kagome!" he shouted.

She fought harder still, crawling toward Kouga who stood off in the distance.

Ginta lurched forward and pulled her back by her waist. "Kago— sister, look at me!"

A chill broke over her at the breaking in his voice. She stopped and turned back to him.

He looked both pained and tired, sweat pouring from his face, his muscles strained. "She isn't — she's not —" he panted, shaking his head. "She is merely asleep. She inhaled too much smoke from the fire demon. You mustn't disturb her."

His eyes spoke volumes.

Ayame wasn't just his pack mate, she was his.

"When did you?"

"A week ago," he answered without needing her to finish her question.

"She and I..." he looked at Ayame as Kouga laid her down on fresh furs and then back at the ground. "I didn't want her to be out there, but she has never listened to me."

Kagome forced a small laugh. "When has Ayame ever listened to anybody."

Ginta smiled so briefly she almost missed it.

"He's coming."

Kouga.

"I'm going to go sit with Ayame."

As Ginta left, Kagome rose to her feet with the aching in her knees, spinning to meet him.

He looked just as he had when he'd left, his hair annoyingly not disheveled minus the smokey soot along his body. Aside from a few cuts and some ash he was perfect.

Safe.

His eyes met hers in a blazing flash and his hand found her cheek.

"Are you hurt?" she asked shyly, gazing over him just in case she missed something. He walked straight but what if... "If you think you won't hear about going out there without your armor, you've got another thing—"

Fingers pulled her chin up and her eyes met his bright blues. "I'm not hurt."

Kagome closed her eyesight and sighed with exhaustion. "Good."

"What have you been doing?"

Kagome looked around for the woman and her child but they had long moved elsewhere.

She shook her head. "Healing what I can," she shrugged. "Trying to be useful."

A bright smile stretched across Kouga's face. "How could I ever expect you to do anything less?"

"You underestimate me," Kagome said, smiling back.

Was she flirting? She was definitely flirting.

She went to playfully push his chest but he pulled her in and kissed her.

As he pulled away, Kagome started to say something.

"I lo—"

Rewind. Stop.

Kouga leaned down again, smirking at what he was certain she had almost said. "You what?"

Kagome flustered. "Nothing. I'm just really tired. Can we go to sleep?"

Never one to rush, Kouga nodded at her. She took his hand and he took them to bed.

She would ask about the demon tomorrow.

* * *

Author Note: a nice long, hopefully exciting chapter for you!


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

So much has happened in a span of 24 hours.

The tension between Kouga and her when he had kissed her. The revealing bath with Ayame where she had confessed her feelings. The lap sitting at dinner. The fire demon. Hakkaku and Ayame's injuries. Ginta's confession. The woman and small boy she couldn't save.

How could so much good and bad happen within such a short time?

 _Last Night_

Kouga had brought them to his secluded part of the den, deep within the cave, and Kagome weakly followed, thinking of nothing but sleep.

She sat down on the furs ready to lay down when she had a thought. None of the wolf demon slept in their armor. Most women wore there's but never to sleep.

All Kagome wanted was a good night's sleep and she couldn't imagine feeling so rested trying to sleep with cold metal armor on. She would still have her furs on and she could cover herself with her long hair and the furs and blankets on Kouga's bed.

Could she really do this?

Kagome stared accusingly at the wolf standing before her. "If I do something, do you promise to keep your hands to yourself?"

His face dripping with fatigue, he blinked back not understanding.

Huffing loudly, she turned away from him, quickly discarding her armor. She made haste to cover her modesty with her long thick hair, before slowly turning back around.

Exhausted, she sighed and sank back to her knees on the fur bed. "I just want to sleep."

Kouga met her kneeling and gently touched her cheek. "Then we will sleep."

* * *

Kagome woke to a fire. What time was it? It couldn't still be night.

Groaning as she sat up, she saw could see day break very far away. Turning to her left, Kouga was fast asleep. His arm lay next to her hip.

Gone was the furrow of his brows or the frown of his lips, the fierce look of a leader who lead and protected and did not rest. Asleep, he looked so peaceful. Not a man at war.

Studying his features, he was so handsome. Gently her fingers stroked through his hair as she tried to sort through the thoughts in her head.

Kouga was very certain of his feelings towards her and always had been. He loved her and claimed her as his own, even if he wouldn't speak it aloud these days. But how did she feel?

She cared about him, that much she knew. There was a solid attraction. He had shattered her illusions that it might not be true time and time again, and worse he could smell it on her every time, which made lying futile. He was her protector, her laughter, her safe haven. He saw himself as her lover. She saw him as someone who would be a loving partner, a support to her dreams, someone who would raise her up. He was a man who had spent a hundred years without her and had not yet given up on her. A man who would raise strong boys and wise girls, who would be a good father and a good man.

Could she give him everything? Could she be mated to him? From what Ayame had explained, mating was just like what humans called marriage except more... permanent and at the same time, more secure.

He would never leave her, never forsake her love for another. He loved her now but would it change when he finally made her his? Would it be better or just more? Would she care for him more?

As she carefully moved his hair from his face, he stirred before blinking awake piercing blue eyes.

"Did I sleep all night?" he asked his voice hoarse with sleep. Kagome laid back down beside him, her hands still softly touching his hair.

Kagome nodded. "It would seem so."

Kouga . "I never sleep an entire night."

"You fought hard last night. That rest was deserved," she said, hoping her feather light touches were soothing. "Even my wolf prince needs sleep."

A smirk jerked at his lips as he sat up, and Kagome followed him giggling, "What?"

His eye brows lifted as he turned to look at her, running his hand through his own hair. "Your wolf prince?"

Oops...

"I didn't mean —"

"Oh I don't mind," he said leaning in. "Usually I'm the possessive one."

Suddenly his lips were on hers. As they kissed, he quickly pulled her onto his lap in a straddling position, their lips only breaking for a moment.

This was such a hot kiss. The way his lips opened and moved against hers. His hand on the small of her back. The possessive way he took charge. The hard feel of his body beneath her hands. The fact that they were both topless. Even if she was covered for now.

When she needed air, he pulled away and began kissing her neck. She was already dizzy.

"We have injured and all you can think about is kissing me," she said breathily. "Kouga."

Kouga placed pressure with his fingers gripping her hips and he watched as her hips rolled against him, her mouth opening with a suppressed noise of pleasure.

"It's not every day I have you in my bed undressed," he said huskily, pressing kisses along her collarbone. "Smelling so good."

His hand pushed her hair off one of her breasts and onto her back, giving him more access to her throat.

"Kouga, we —"

"Just let me touch you for a while. The day can wait."

Kagome relented, nodding as he continued assaulting her neck. What would it hurt for a little bit? Plus what he was doing to her felt so good.

She could use a little relaxation after yesterday. Kouga, too.

Running his fingers from her abdomen up to her breast, he ran the palm of his hand over her breast, moving the rest of her hair over her back. Her bare breasts were full and round, nipples rosy, and completely revealed to him. His mouth practically watered at the sight.

At first his fingers explored the new territory, feeling underneath her breasts, the full shape, the valley between, and then finally moved in small circles around her nipples.

She forgot to breathe when she felt his mouth close over the first, swirling his tongue around it. Unable to hold back a cry, her head tilted back.

His tongue circled the other nipple, giving it equal attention. Her breath grew shallow and any rational thought drifted away.

Suddenly he stopped and rested his forehead on her shoulder as if pained. She whimpered from the sudden detachment.

"Kouga?" she breathed, concerned.

"Your scent is so — Kami, I just want to — I need to —"

"What?"

Concerned deeply, Kagome pressed her hand against his cheek and forced him to look up at her. His mouth was open in a pant. He was clearly trying very hard to repress his actions.

His hands gripped the top of her thighs, moving beneath her skirt and squeezing. "I want you so badly, but if I don't stop..." he said huskily. His fingers crept between her thighs and his thumbs stroked millimeters from her warm, wet —

Kagome gasped.

"If I don't stop —" Kouga brushed his thumb up over the soft skin of her inner thighs painfully slow. "I'm going to bury myself inside you for hours."

Kagome almost begged him not to retreat, but she understood. As good as it felt.

Hours? He definitely said hours. Hot sex with Kouga that would last hours.

But she had to think about others. Ayame was probably still unconscious and she needed to check Ginta's wounds.

Kagome covered herself and shakily stood to her legs, and Kouga followed after.

After putting her armor on and fixing her fur skirt back in place, she turned around. Kouga was staring right at her.

Kagome brushed passed him, her arm gently touching his.

"You said hours?"

Suddenly she was pushed against the den wall with Kouga's chest pressed against her back. Her breath quickened as he moved hair behind her ear. She shuddered at the feel of his warm breath on her neck.

"Mark my words, darling. I'll have you," he promised, his voice low. "Again and again and again." Each 'again' was punctuated with a kiss or gentle nip of his teeth along the flesh of her neck.

His touch, his promise of pleasure and affection to come. She felt faint. And she felt cold when he walked away.

Quickly she shooed the inappropriate thoughts from her mind. She had injured to check on.

Ayame.

Hakkaku. 

Quickly turning she righted her clothing and moved away from Kouga's private quarters.

* * *

"Ayame hasn't woken yet."

Eyes closed, a soft rise and fall of her chest, her skin paler than usual, still Ayame remained as beautiful as ever. At her side sat Ginta, who was for all intents and purposes her husband. As a good mate should, he stayed beside his sick love and tended to her every need even if her need was simply more time to heal, to rest.

Kagome sat quietly beside Ginta, glancing over Ayame for any injuries she may have missed. "Is there anything I can do?"

Ginta shook his head. "Unless you've got something to wake her from sleep?"

It was her turn to shake her head.

"Ginta, what happened last night?"

He sighed. "Kouga didn't tell you?"

Kagome's face pinked and she folded her hands in her lap. "We didn't speak much about what happened last night."

When he spoke, she listened. "It was a fire demon. Unlike anything I've ever seen. It skulked on legs made of stone and it's body was a flaming blaze bringing fire to anything it touched, crushing the ground beneath its heavy weight."

He glanced over to see that she was listening. She was.

"It was impossible to fight. You got too close, you burned. We shot arrows at it and threw spears and they burned up. It finally retreated and we are certain it could return. How do you fight something like that?" he asked, not expecting her to answer.

"Well," Kagome thought about it. "So what? What if you couldn't fight it with strength?"

"How else do you defeat an enemy?"

"What if you had to outsmart your enemy?" she grinned, thinking of a plan. "This thing is basically a large fire on legs, right?"

Ginta shrugged, completely not following her direction. "Right. And?"

"And how do you put out a fire, Ginta?"

The light bulb in his head went off as he stared some place at the edge of the den, right through it.

"Water." Ginta rose to his feet. He needed to tell the others and Kouga. There was a way to defeat this foe yet. "Kagome, you're a genius!"

Kagome laughed and Ginta seemed to pause at war with his duty to his tribe and his mate.

"Go, I'll stay," she said reassuringly.

Ginta kissed his beloved's hand before scrambling away to tell the others.

"Thanks Kagome."

They had a plan.

* * *

After Ginta returned, Kagome spent another hour checking those who were still healing. Most had healed and those still healing from grave wounds now had faint pink marks on their skin. It wasn't a joke how quickly wolf demon healed. It was like magic.

Outside in the light of day, she walked around with a few of the children who had asked her to go pick flowers. She was surprised. With this talk of a fire demon, much of their land looked untouched.

While picking flowers, Kagome's ears pricked at the sound of a twig snapping. She spun only to see the desperate woman who slapped her after losing her child, perhaps an only child. Kagome cleared her throat and moved to allow the woman to pass through.

One of the children, a girl, tugged on her hand. "What's this one, Kagome?"

Kagome turned her back only to have the woman touch her shoulder.

"Wait!" Kagome turned back to face her. "Please."

In the light, Kagome could clearly see the woman's face. Graying brown hair, her skin still holding a tinge of youth, bright hazel eyes.

"How can I help you?" Kagome asked kindly. Pity was the only thing that saved the woman. Her son had just died.

The woman looked away, eyes teary and lip quivering. "I know you did all you could for my son and I am only sorry for slapping you."

Kagome bowed her head at the woman and accepted her apology with grace. "I am sorry he couldn't be saved."

Thinking the conversation was through, Kagome took a step back when the woman thrust her arms about her, sobbing.

Kagome patted her back in a way she hoped was comforting while the children picked flowers.

"I'm sorry."

* * *

The morning had taken an unusual turn of events, with the woman in the field of flowers.

As they returned for lunch, Kagome shooed the children to their mothers.

"Will you play with us again, Kagome?" a toothy child with curly blond hair asked.

"Yes, now go. Your mother must be worried how long I've kept you picking flowers."

Kagome smiled and the little girl smiled back.

"Bye Kagome!"

Kagome practically jumped out of her skin at the feel of warm, strong, tanned arms move around her waist.

His deep voice soothed her nerves. "Playing well with others, I see."

Her skin chilled with goosebumps, even in the sun, and she leaned into his embrace. "You frightened me."

His lips pressed against her cheek. "How are the others?"

Kagome turned in his arms so she could face him. His arms did not move from her waist.

"Good. Mostly healed."

"Thanks to you," Kouga nodded, acknowledging her hard efforts from last night.

Kagome giggled, shaking her head. "No, wolf demon just heal really fast."

Kouga smirked. "True. And what of Ayame."

Kagome bit down on her lip. "Asleep last I checked but it's been a few hours."

This troubled Kouga and Kagome could see it. She reached up and placed a kiss on his shoulder, the highest place on him she could reach on tip toe.

The tall freak.

"She will wake up soon. Don't worry."

Noticing the worry that stained his face, she pushed his arms away and tugged on his arms.

"We should do something fun! Come with me."

* * *

Kouga and Kagome returned to the dens soaked to the bone, drenched.

They had spent a good amount of the afternoon splashing and playing in the warm spring, laughing hard belly laughs and sharing stories. Kagome taught him how to play Tag though whenever it was her turn to swim away, it didn't last very long. Marco, Polo was much more fun, but he always heard her moving and quickly dashed after her, ending the game in seconds.

They decided to leave only when they realized the sun had begun to set, both of their stomachs ready for supper.

 _Kouga had swept her up in his arms and Kagome was laughing at the entire thing, both of them out of breath from their efforts. The sun had begun its descent from the sky._

 _As he stopped spinning, his hands stroked over her hips, and her laughter eased to nervous energy._

 _The atmosphere between them had changed drastically to something much more intimate._

 _"We should — we should go," Kagome said between catching her breath. "It'll be dark soon and you're hungry."_

 _Kouga smirked, bright blue eyes gleaming, his head tilted to the side._

 _"I am hungry." He leaned down to place kisses along her throat. "But my appetite," his hands roamed over her backside, pulling her against him, the water splashing loudly. "My appetite for food is nothing compared to my desire for you."_

 _His still bright eyes now hooded, Kouga leaned in closely. His lips hovered millimeters from her own. His warm breath against her cheek made her dizzy. All of him made her dizzy._

 _"Show me how fast you are," she whispered. "Race me back."_

 _A smirk stretched across his face and his eyes grew alive with the challenge she presented._

 _"Forgive me, my love, but you don't stand a chance."_

Kagome had been no match for Kouga, just as he had said. Even with a thirty second head start, which Kouga had begun counting even while she was still in the water.

So they returned to the dens soaked to the bone and laughing. It brought Kagome great joy to see him enjoying himself so much. She wasn't sure if she had ever seen him so happy.

"Laughing suits you," she said, unable to contain herself.

Kouga glanced over at her. "Does it?"

"You're so serious most of the time." Kagome stared down at their feet that had already picked up much dirt from their race back. "I like this version of you much better."

"What version?"

Kagome put her hand in the crook of his elbow. "Happy Kouga."

Kouga grew serious once more. "Kagome, do I make you happy?"

He stilled just outside the entrance to the caves and Kagome turned towards him. "Of course you do. You've always... you always make me happy."

"Even a hundred years ago when I was being an overprotective jerk, insisting you were my woman?"

Kagome realized what she had said. He had never really made her unhappy, not even then.

"I remember the time you brought me flowers. You were so sweet. You always protected me, even when I wasn't yours to protect. Our first meeting was a little rough —"

Kouga interjected a, "point taken."

"You were only doing what your instinct told you to," Kagome said quietly, reaching up to brush her hand against his cheek, barely reaching. "Now that I understand it a bit more, how could I possibly be upset?"

Her hand slipped and Kouga caught it upon its descent.

"Running circles around me, showing up to check on me, always being in the right place at the right time when I needed saving. No matter Inuyasha's reaction," she added, her chest tightening just a little. "You weren't being a jerk. You just knew how you felt and you weren't going to apologize for it.

"It was sweet, really."

Kagome paused.

"Kouga, do I make you happy?"

For a moment, she saw disbelief in his eyes before he pulled her in and kissed her hard on the lips.

Before she could count the seconds, the kiss was over and he gently touched the wisps of hair framing her face.

"Happier than any man has the right to be."

* * *

The morning came quickly and Kagome had slept soundly. The morning was a frigid one, her warmth coming only from the large man tangled around her. The air was crisp and she could see small clouds from her breath.

She turned inward to seep more of Kouga's body heat, pressing her face into his warm chest.

"Good morning," came a low voice, rumbling from his chest.

Kagome shook her head, her reply muffled. Though he distinctly heard her say, "too cold."

"You disagree?" he chuckled.

Kagome sighed audibly. "How do you survive winters like this? It's so cold!"

He wrapped his arms tighter around her and barked with laughter. "Hot springs, furs and plenty of fires. Being a wolf demon has its perks though."

Kagome nestled back into his chest. "It's not fair."

Kouga leaned down and pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. "I'll get more furs for you, and in the meantime you've got me to keep you warm."

"Hrmph," was her response.

"Though, I could think of many _activities_ that would keep us both warm."

Kagome pushed away from his chest, her cheeks pink. Quickly she rose to her feet in search of her armor. She had slept without it again and felt a strong desire to shield her modesty.

Large hands spanned over her bare stomach, pulling her in against a body of taut muscles, the skin positively on fire with heat.

She gasped. 

Predator seeking prey. Kouga leaned down, his lips touching her ear when he spoke.

"Kagome," he paused seemingly for effect, and it worked. "Do I," he paused again, stroking his fingers through her hair, skimming over the soft flesh of her breast, "make you nervous?"

She shivered. "Extremely."

Kouga chuckled darkly, his face pressed against her shoulder. "I will have to work hard on relaxing you, won't I?"

Absently, Kagome nodded, hardly able to pay attention with his hands roaming up and down her stomach. His hands did anything but relax her. If nothing else, his proximity only made her heart beat with adrenaline, made her body paralyze with submission.

His hands left her and she felt freezing all over. Could it really be this cold? It couldn't.

"You should get dressed and I'll get you something to eat."

Turning to face him, Kagome nodded at Kouga's hooded eyes before turning away again to do just as he said.

* * *

After dressing, Kagome practically ran into the den to find Kouga. He was stoking a fire, reloading it with firewood and ensuring it burned properly.

Taking a seat near him, she waited for him to finish. He said nothing when he got up, returning with a fur blanket large enough to wrap herself in.

Thinking he was finally going to sit with her, she was surprised when he kissed her head before saying, "I'll return." He marched out of the den and disappeared.

She presumed he was going to fetch breakfast.

"Sister, can I sit?"

It was Hakkaku. Despite there having been a great battle with a fire demon only a few days before, he looked completely back to normal. No scars, not even a scratch.

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, sit."

He sat across from her.

"How are you?" she asked conversationally, and because she wanted to know.

Hakkaku rubbed the tiredness from his face, or tried. "Fine, I suppose. A little tired but I'll manage."

Kagome considered for a moment that perhaps Kouga had met Hakkaku on the way out and had asked him to protect her till his return, but she didn't ask.

"What about you?" Hakkaku asked. "I saw you that night."

Kagome perked up, chills spiking over her.

"I was pretty out of it but I remember the woman and her child."

Kagome bit her lip and rubbed her hands over her arms. "I suppose you would've heard our exchange."

Hakkaku nodded, his face serious. "Yeah, I mean, her son Aku was only a small boy but his death wasn't your fault."

Tears welled up in the corners of her eyes and she wiped them away. "I know." She knew but it was still nice to hear it.

"And it doesn't matter that she's a female, she shouldn't have slapped you. If Kouga ever finds out, she'll be punished."

Kagome laughed nervously. "No." The mother was simply grieved.

Hakkaku's face held a glow from the fire and he squared his jaw before speaking again. "Kagome, wolves don't follow the same rules as humans. Pack law is final. Kouga is Alpha and you are a mate mark from being our Lady. You not telling him spared her life and if you wish to keep it that way, you know what you have to do."

Just as Hakkaku finished speaking, Kouga returned holding a bundle of fruit in one arm and a green leaf full of cooked meat in the other hand.

Hakkaku nodded at his leader before respectfully taking leave and the two were left alone.

Mostly alone. The den was scattered with other members of the pack and wolves resting near their own fires and having their own conversations.

"Are you hungry?" Kouga asked.

Kagome sighed reaching for the fruit. "Starved."

* * *

Author Note: You guys, I have been trying to post this chapter for like a month. Chapter 11 is almost done. Merry Christmas!


End file.
